The topic is interesting Ari, but your screenshot from Brother vs Brother made me want to see it again and share with my family. Is there a place to watch it online?
Btw- I've gotten over being Sideways'd out of drinking Merlo. I like it more than Pinot. Eat it Miles!
Again, really great writing, Ari. Always inspiring, as well.
This latest of yours makes me think of two things. The first is that I've heard that if you survey random people regarding blind wine tastings of a very expensive wine, a quite decent wine, and a cheap wine, it's the cheap wine that is favored by most for the simple reason it's more sweet than the other two. The vast majority of people are not able to assess the finer qualities of a good wine. The second thing your latest brings to my mind is a news story from a few years ago. The story told of a world class cellist, I think it was, who was busking in the underground of the DC or NY transit system. Here he was playing the most beautiful music, and with the highest skill, while hundreds and hundreds of people rushed by with barely a glance. It was a small minority of folks who understood that this was somebody quite special and/or plainly recognized him. Just makes me think we need to open our hearts and minds much more...not to mention our ears and eyes. The piece may have been on 60 Minutes. Rock on!
I love this too much! Wine is storytelling, that what I've been preaching for years. It's also the reason so many folks fall head over heels during a winery visit and end up signing up for wine clubs, only to open their first monthly shipment and contend with having to drink 12 bottles of garbage. The tasting on site, amid the vines and all the accompanying mythology exacerbates the sense of intimacy and affection you've cultivated for the product. Sometimes the wines are mediocre, and sometimes they're great! Sometimes the pleasure 90% nostalgia and the magic of olfactory time traveling when we open up a bottle from a memorable trip. This is the only reason I will ever stock a wine cellar. Not for aging the mega Barolos, but in lieu of the photo albums and scrapbooks we used to meticulously build so that we could savor and re-savor our lives. Great piece! By the way, we're some sort of cousins on the Thomson-Shapero line (Laura, Maynard, Hannah...)
Thanks, Ari. I used to be embarrassed to tell people I was from El Paso, TX. I have since apologized and have been forgiven by my city. My eyes are capturing its mystical beauty, more than ever. I'm now sharing about its wonders with others and rewriting this narrative.
Yes I had a good couple nights there, exploring the region and going to copper mines and other juicy areas while location scouting for "Adventures of Power"!
OMG that's amazing! Yes we ended up shooting the industrial town in Utah, but it was inspired by New Mexico, and I started the location-hunt in El Paso.
This reminds me of a recent experiment in animation, where a much-honored Russian animator used a pseudonym on his film to explore the impact of the Matthew Effect:
This is an amazing quote: "If two paintings are placed before us and we are told one is by an unknown artist and the other is by Picasso, it’s clear which painting we will look at more attentively. It’s not even about the number of glances cast, but about a certain feeling of reverence that switches on inside us by default. However, if we don’t know who painted which – then we are more disoriented. The reverence is activated, but we don’t know where to apply it, and our eyes dart frantically from one painting to the other. This is pure perceptual psychology, which is no more under our control than an orgasm or a hiccup."
The topic is interesting Ari, but your screenshot from Brother vs Brother made me want to see it again and share with my family. Is there a place to watch it online?
Btw- I've gotten over being Sideways'd out of drinking Merlo. I like it more than Pinot. Eat it Miles!
Not yet, we're working on a proper release... stay tuned.
meanwhile some live videos - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0zpB4MY2xoU and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvDviKr1A4I and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdLSmr5XYvo
Again, really great writing, Ari. Always inspiring, as well.
This latest of yours makes me think of two things. The first is that I've heard that if you survey random people regarding blind wine tastings of a very expensive wine, a quite decent wine, and a cheap wine, it's the cheap wine that is favored by most for the simple reason it's more sweet than the other two. The vast majority of people are not able to assess the finer qualities of a good wine. The second thing your latest brings to my mind is a news story from a few years ago. The story told of a world class cellist, I think it was, who was busking in the underground of the DC or NY transit system. Here he was playing the most beautiful music, and with the highest skill, while hundreds and hundreds of people rushed by with barely a glance. It was a small minority of folks who understood that this was somebody quite special and/or plainly recognized him. Just makes me think we need to open our hearts and minds much more...not to mention our ears and eyes. The piece may have been on 60 Minutes. Rock on!
Yes - our film is the same as it was pre- and post-Coppola, but he has helped people see that it's a "fine wine".... but it is also a fine cheap wine!
A POET was such an incredible ride.
Agreed. I've been shouting to everyone to see it for months!
I love this too much! Wine is storytelling, that what I've been preaching for years. It's also the reason so many folks fall head over heels during a winery visit and end up signing up for wine clubs, only to open their first monthly shipment and contend with having to drink 12 bottles of garbage. The tasting on site, amid the vines and all the accompanying mythology exacerbates the sense of intimacy and affection you've cultivated for the product. Sometimes the wines are mediocre, and sometimes they're great! Sometimes the pleasure 90% nostalgia and the magic of olfactory time traveling when we open up a bottle from a memorable trip. This is the only reason I will ever stock a wine cellar. Not for aging the mega Barolos, but in lieu of the photo albums and scrapbooks we used to meticulously build so that we could savor and re-savor our lives. Great piece! By the way, we're some sort of cousins on the Thomson-Shapero line (Laura, Maynard, Hannah...)
I actually just ordered some wine that I fell in love with in Big Sur. Will it taste as good in the East Village? Time will tell....
Report back!
I love this post
I love this Ari! A lot of truth in your thesis.
Thanks, Ari. I used to be embarrassed to tell people I was from El Paso, TX. I have since apologized and have been forgiven by my city. My eyes are capturing its mystical beauty, more than ever. I'm now sharing about its wonders with others and rewriting this narrative.
Yes I had a good couple nights there, exploring the region and going to copper mines and other juicy areas while location scouting for "Adventures of Power"!
Whaaaat??!! That’s amazing! Watched AoP with my son when it come out. He even won the orange jumpsuit! I’ll share the pic on IG.
OMG that's amazing! Yes we ended up shooting the industrial town in Utah, but it was inspired by New Mexico, and I started the location-hunt in El Paso.
This reminds me of a recent experiment in animation, where a much-honored Russian animator used a pseudonym on his film to explore the impact of the Matthew Effect:
https://www.animationmagazine.net/2025/12/why-director-konstantin-bronzit-decided-to-hide-his-identity-and-other-great-revelations-behind-his-oscar-short-listed-the-three-sisters-exclusive/
This is an amazing quote: "If two paintings are placed before us and we are told one is by an unknown artist and the other is by Picasso, it’s clear which painting we will look at more attentively. It’s not even about the number of glances cast, but about a certain feeling of reverence that switches on inside us by default. However, if we don’t know who painted which – then we are more disoriented. The reverence is activated, but we don’t know where to apply it, and our eyes dart frantically from one painting to the other. This is pure perceptual psychology, which is no more under our control than an orgasm or a hiccup."
Yes. Charlottes Web. The power of narrative. This is Some Pig. Not bacon. Such a great piece, Ari.
And Babe is a Sheep Dog too!
How do I find out about your NY screening?
write me thru arigoldfilms.com site thanks!