skasiewicz

Concrete Utopia 콘크리트 유토피아 (2023)

Director: Um Tae-hwa Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon, Park Bo-young, Kim Sun-young, Park Ji-hu Country of Origin: South Korea In the vast Seoul metropolis, towering apartments are as conspicuous as coffee shops and convenience stores. Yet when a catastrophic earthquake devastates the South Korean capital only one building remains standing. The residents of the HwangContinue reading “Concrete Utopia 콘크리트 유토피아 (2023)”

Napoli target Super Cup success in a season to forget

When Napoli began their title defence the Supercoppa Italiana was an afterthought rather than an objective. Now it’s the Neapolitan club’s only realistic opportunity to claim a trophy in an substandard campaign littered with poor results and off the field controversy. From a magnificent third Scudetto the champions have ungraciously fallen to eighth place in the standingsContinue reading “Napoli target Super Cup success in a season to forget”

Beyond Utopia (2023)

Director: Madeleine Gavin Country of Origin: United States The Kim dynasty features prominently in almost every documentary made about North Korea. Depressingly sensational tales of brutal control and lavish excess often completely ignore the country’s largely impoverished 26 million population. All filmmakers allowed access to the most isolated nation on earth are bound by theContinue reading “Beyond Utopia (2023)”

Players must step up as Mazzarri replaces Garcia at Napoli

One man was deemed culpable for Napoli’s faltering title defence. Yet in the endless blame game was Rudi Garcia solely liable for the Partenopei’s underwhelming opening to the campaign?The French coach paid the price as owner Aurelio De Laurentiis finally fired him with Napoli 10 points adrift of leaders Inter at the top of Serie A. Veteran WalterContinue reading “Players must step up as Mazzarri replaces Garcia at Napoli”

Once upon a Samp: a children’s Scudetto story

An illustrated children’s book inspired by Sampdoria’s historic 1990-1991 Serie A title success has been translated into English. Once upon a Samp tells the story of Roberto (Mancini) and Luca (Vialli) who dream of winning against a team of seemingly unbeatable stronger kids on their neighbourhood field. The arrival of Grandpa Vuja, Mr. Paolo, and a hostContinue reading “Once upon a Samp: a children’s Scudetto story”

Crisscrossing California: Halloween

For the more cynically inclined it’s hard to view Halloween outside the prism of commercialization. Costumes, candy, decorations, movies and music. Promotions and advertisements pushed off the scale until October 31. Trick or treating and pumpkin carving. A means of extracting cash from parents as kids seek a ready made costume before filling up onContinue reading “Crisscrossing California: Halloween”

Unpredictable Napoli falter under Garcia

There has been a season’s worth of needless drama crammed into the space of three months as Napoli have stuttered to establish themselves under coach Rudi Garcia. From the exaggerated controversy of ill-considered social media posts, supposed player unrest, forthright agent demands and a president unafraid to voice his opinion on anything and everything, the Partenopei haveContinue reading “Unpredictable Napoli falter under Garcia”

Napoli edged out by Real Madrid: three talking points from the Champions League defeat

Only an unlucky Alex Meret own goal prevented Napoli from earning a point against perennial Champions League favourites Real Madrid at Stadio Diego Maradona. The reigning Serie A champions lost 3-2 against the Spanish giants on a thrilling night in Campania. Leo Ostigard headed the Partenopei ahead before the 14-time European champions hit back through ViniciusContinue reading “Napoli edged out by Real Madrid: three talking points from the Champions League defeat”

A message to you, Rudi: Napoli too open under new coach

Rudi Garcia navigated Napoli past Braga in a tricky Champions League opener in Portugal – yet it wasn’t enough to silence a growing contingent of detractors that question the tactics and approach of the French coach. Derided for his team selection, an unimaginative game plan and substitutions amongst a litany of other charges Garcia stillContinue reading “A message to you, Rudi: Napoli too open under new coach”

Undefeated Lecce Serie A’s surprise package

Among the unbeaten Serie A heavyweights lies an outlier. Lecce have a zero in the loss column along with early frontrunners Inter and Juventus. The Puglian club were tipped as relegation fodder in a plethora of gloomy prediction lists yet have already picked up eight more points than expected from a challenging first four fixtures.Continue reading “Undefeated Lecce Serie A’s surprise package”