The 'Schwatz Family'

You are about to read a review but not of another mainstream film, the kind that makes a minimum of half a billion dollars, because I have got style ;) and also because I saw The Schwatz Family. Is this the best series in the world or what?

Not so long ago (last year), right under our noses, a crazy cult series emerged on YouTube with… 2 episodes, and the third is coming.

This series has the potential that I have not seen in the Israeli landscape for a long time. Strong influences of 'Rick and Morty', gross performances like 'Ren and Stimpe' , a touch of 'Anima' and a great portion of ​​emotion.

I am talking about feelings and punctuality in the love for these amazing characters and family. I do not remember when I last came across a family on the screen that I feel so connected to after two short episodes. It is not something to take for granted in a genre with so much nonsense.

The creators are Asaf and Dean. And… I have nothing more to say about them.

Well now, this series is not perfect, it still needs some arrangements to fulfill its true potential. But hey there, it's a two-episode series that only two people make, so, show some respect. Compare to it, 'Rick and Morty' looked like 'La Linea'.

In the pilot episode, you'll see that groundwork is laid for the characters and their traits, which is amazing in my opinion but there is no story; you'll see two unrelated scenes which tell the stories about the father. In the second episode, you see something more mature, there is a cool story, which gives us a glimpse of the lovely dynamics of the family. The transition from the pilot without a story to a second episode with a dramatic structure shows how the creators of the series are developing and hopefully soon episode 3 is going to be a MASTERPIECE.

Now the only problem with the series is pacing. I know they are artists: writing, thinking, storyboarding, narrating, animating. However, it is not fast enough, my dear ones. I do not think they understand what they have. When you nail it, as they did, you go the extra mile. Leave your jobs, move back with mom and dad, make 14 episodes in a year, drink 100 cups of black coffee starting at 5 A.M. It is not a hobby. They should want to make a business from it.

If they take a chance, take a loan from the bank, leave the past behind, remove the mediocre way of thinking, increase the frequency of the outgoing chapters, maintain the same standards and will not sell themselves short. Pay attention! They should not sell themselves short! They will be the 'Ren and Stimpe' of Israel. They will sell it abroad, will be awarded prizes, make lots of money, people will see their advertisement.

The best of luck to Dean and Asaf.

Hey everyone.

Five years ago, my brother got married in the U.S.A , so we had a great opportunity to be there  together the whole family for two weeks. I come  from a large family (11 children ) so it is something that hardly ever happens.  

We arrived in NY two days and a half before the wedding, and the day after we already were on our way to the Niagara Falls in the north. We set off New York early in the morning and started our journey.

The drive to the Niagra takes ten hours. Although we had some hard moments such as a crying baby or a annoying sister-in-law, it was a great experience. It is something that I will never forget. I had another chance to see how wonderful my family is. We laughed a lot and enjoyed ourselves.

Finally, after ten hours stuck in the car, we reached our destination. We were amazed by the stunning beauty of the place, and of course, we took many pictures. and then, when it became darker and colder, we looked for a motel. My stingy family looked for the cheapest motel in the area and did not want to spend another one penny than needed. We ended up staying there for another day. On the way back we were all tired but satisfied. 

Footvolley

I would like to share with you a type of sport I was recently introduced to and fell in love with immediately called Footvolley. Although I don’t play it myself, I find it fascinating to watch because it combines two of my favorite things in life; sports and the beach.

The game of footvolley was created by Octavio de Moraes in 1965, on the beach of Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The idea of footvolley was originally emerged due to the fact that football was banned on the beach at that time, but volleyball courts were open. In order to skip that rule, players were using anything but their hands to pass the ball from one side of the volleyball net to the other. Thus, a new type of sport was created. Basically speaking, footvolley combines aspects of beach volleyball and ball-touch rules taken from association football. It is played on a beach volleyball field, in teams of two players only. The players are to pass the football using any part of their bodies except for their hands. Since the sport`s inception in Brazil, footvolley has spread and gained popularity all over the world. Tournaments and international events of the game have been taking place since the early 00`s.

In 2003, two Brazilian football players who were playing in Israeli teams first introduced the game to some of their Israeli friends on the beaches of Tel Aviv. The locals immediately fell in love with the game and the rumor started to spread around the city slowly but surely. Corona beer company was the first to initiate a series of sponsored footvolley tournaments in Israel back in 2007. The success of the tournaments led Corona to create the first Israeli footvolley league which exists to this very day. The league takes place annually during the summer and is broadcasted in the Israeli sport channels. Since 2018, there is also a female league of Israeli footvolley. In addition, the first Israeli footvolley school for teenage players is about to be opened soon. The game is played mostly in Tel Aviv beaches such as Frishman and Gordon, to which people can come and watch the games freely.

To conclude, I encourage you all to come and watch footvolley games during the summer. The games are engaging, the players are impressive and the atmosphere at the beach is priceless.

A Musical "Nature Reserve" for Folk-Music Lovers – in Tel Aviv!

Twice a month, a group of middle-aged (and plus) people gather,

not for a bingo evening but for an evening of LIVE folk music, their island of sanity in the midst of turbulent waters of everyday life and reality.

The venue itself is as far from a musical club as a giraffe is from the beach but only in appearance. Once the audience settles down, they let themselves listen and breathe in live folk music in the widest variety of the word, be it British Isles folk and ballads, or American 60s, Blues, Jazz, Folk-Rock or World music. They breathe the music in and become 16 or 20 all over again! This event, called The Tel Aviv
Folk Club, has been running for almost 40 years, most of them in
Bikurey Ha'Itim Center (until it was pulled down to be rebuilt as a school)
and in recent years in Mo'adon Avivim in Ramat Aviv.

So what brings people twice a month to Ramat Aviv, from Jerusalem, and even from Pardes Hanna or from as far as Har Halutz in the north?

Love of music, a sense of community and a variety!
Nostalgia too, but not only, since many musicians are young and even
unknown (until the first time they appear for us) and much of the music
is original. In one evening you hear 4 different musicians (including duos,
trios or bands, mostly unamplified) who transport you to the 60s of your
youth, to a smoky Blues club and to Brazil or Africa…for just 30 shekels.
In one evening you meet musicians and hear from them about the music
they sing or write, you hum along and sometimes harmonize, and
of course, you meet your friends.

And what brings musicians, young or older, to The Tel Aviv Folk Club,
where they sing and play for no payment? The warm and supportive
audience, even if not large, the fact that musicians are being listened to
and not just regarded as background music while trying to overcome
chattering voices and coffee machines in cafes or pubs. They can try out
their new material on us without the fear of tomatoes being thrown at them.
Musicians love this friendly community and family which welcomes them
with open arms, ears and hearts.

The downside is the décor which is a little too sterile and the fact that
there is no cafeteria in the place. That costs the folk club some new
audience members who would have attended, had there been beer
they could sip while listening.

Why would I recommend The Tel Aviv Folk Club, just as I would
recommend its sibling establishments the Karmi'el Folk Club and
the Jerusalem Folk Music Evenings? Because you gain all the 'perks'
of good music, close proximity, friends and community, for a small
admission fee and free parking(!) and you suffer none of the
aches and pains caused by loud amplification, peripheral noise

and high price of a concert with or without food.

You may come nervous or tired but you leave calm, happy, content
and rejuvenated, having reached the fountain of youth and good music!