all dressed up nowhere to go

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bamberg germany, Dublin, friends, hay fever, hayfever, health, Howth, Ireland, irish evening, sneezing

I’m all dressed up and have nowhere to go, well that is not really true, I did have somewhere to go but my hay-fever had other ideas. This morning I was meant to go to my monthly Sex and the City brunch with some girl-friends of mine but when I woke up this morning and tried to open my eyes I was left in darkness and had to pry them open with a combination of warm water, cotton wool and a lot of giving out.

So while my friends sat and chatted, ate, drank and laughed, I muttered, sneezed, blew my nose and dabbed my eyes until I finally gave in and swallowed  a pill. Now my eyes are slowly clearing up, my nose has stopped running and has slowed down to a steady dribble, but sadly it is now the afternoon and it’s too late for breakfast, brunch or even lunch.

But all is not lost as I will meet up with a friend later and we will enjoy some evening sightseeing and catching up. She is here visiting from Memphis, the city of Elvis and Rock ‘n Roll, but she is German and I met her many, many, many moons ago at University in Bamberg, Germany. We where both part of the drama group, I was on the boards and she was all around them, doing everything to make the production work. I just hope the weather will clear up and we can enjoy a beautiful Irish evening in Howth.

So while the pile of tissues steadily grows my patience with hay-fever is declining at a  a rapid rate. Sadly although it is  only a small protrusion on my face it has the power to render all my other extremities nonfunctional as the pill is kicking in and making me dopy so i think it’s time for a nap … or at least curl up and watch a movie with a cup of tea and a new box of Kleenex.

 

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Film review: detachment

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Adrien Brody, Albert Camus, American History X, arty, Christina Hendricks, Detachment, director tony kaye, drama, Edgar Allan Poe, entertainment, film reviews, Films, James Cann, Lucy Lui, Marcia Gay Harden, reviews, Sami Gayle, Tony Kaye

Director Tony Kaye (American History X) is back in Cinemas with his latest film Detachment and this time around the hell he explores is a public high school somewhere in New York. Filled with disillusioned teachers, unmotivated, dysfunctional students and indifferent parents the school is on the verge of being shut down because of its low test scores causing property values to drop.

Adrien Brody plays the lead in this fractured film, his character Henry Barthes is a substitute teacher, and although Barthes is dedicated to his students he not really willing to commit and make a lasting difference in their lives. In his free time he regularly visits his sick, slightly senile grandfather in a nursing home, cares for a 15 year-old run-away prostitute and writes his thoughts into journals.

While the story pivots around the saintly figure of Brody his supporting cast includes big names like Marcia Gay Harden as the besieged principle, Lucy Lui as the stressed out guidance councillor, James Cann as a pill-popping cynical teacher and beautiful Christina Hendricks as a colleague who tries to initiate some romance with Henry. And although tiny glimpses into the faculty members home lives try to give reasoning and depth to these characters and their actions most scenes seem too unrealistic and bleak. .

Newcomer Sami Gayle as Erica the runaway prostitute however is vibrant and vulnerable and most of the better and tender moments of the film are between her and Brody. And although her transformation from mistreated prostitute to homemaking surrogate daughter is a little too fast, she is the only positive light in this dark film.

Detachment tries to mask its somewhat over the top storyline by using arty tricks like crude chalk drawings, quotes by Albert Camus and Edgar Allan Poe, grim monologues directed at the camera and garish disjointed flashbacks. Instead of enhancing the flow of the story or giving depth to it these interferences often fracture it more and feel too forced.

Ultimately Brody excels in his performance as Henry Barthes, his calm exterior and obvious inner turmoil beautifully brought to screen in subtle actions and quiet moments. But sadly this is not enough to make Detachment a good film.

reading not writing

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books, dr david lewis, feeling, miscellaneous, random, reading, stack of books, thoughts, ultimate relaxation, writing

As I have been feeling a little low this week I have done more reading than writing. Okay I did write a few film reviews, but then that is kind of my job, but my novel has suffered and so has my blog.

But my stack of books I own but still haven’t read has shrunk by four volumes … yes four. Since Saturday I not only started and finished the Hunger Games Trilogy (a gift) but also a book called “The Locket”. Sadly I have to admit that it was only light reading but hoping into  a few worlds that aren’t real and only a few pages away was like a holiday from myself.

A few years ago the Telegraph published an article on the positive effects of reading on your psyche. Neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis was quoted saying ” Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation.” After all the results from a study measuring the scale of relaxation rated reading at 68% within six minutes. Surprisingly higher than both having a cup of tea or coffee , hard for any Irish person to believe, and going for a walk.

Going by that study I should be so relaxed right now that I would have turned into a pile of badly set jelly, but although I am feeling better and yes possibly more relaxed I think I need to read a few more books to be completely back to myself again. Sadly my purse doesn’t allow me any book self browsing in  bookstores but I do still have a few on my”still to read” pile and I just hope they are good.

The Amazing Spider-Man

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500 days of Summer, Andrew Garfield, Dennis Leary, director sam raimi, Emma Stone, entertainment, Film Review, James Horner, Marc Webb, Martin Sheen, reviews, Rhys Ifans, Sally Field, Sam Raimi, Spider-Man, the Amazing Spider-Man, Toby Maguire

Only ten years after Toby Maguire brought Spider-Man to life director Marc Webb (500 days of Summer) has not only spun a new story on Spider-Man’s origins but has managed to make a really good film.

Like in all versions Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is bit by a genetically enhanced spider and develops skills any teenage-boy (and girl) would dream of. But this time around his advisory is the one armed scientist Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) who turns into a rampaging mutant lizard after injecting himself with a formula to regenerate DNA. Of course the love story is not forgotten but instead of the normally beautiful but boring Mary-Jane, Parker falls for his high-school classmate the sexy, sassy and smart Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). An extra twist is given when it turns out that her father (Dennis Leary) is the captain of the task-force trying to put Spider-Man in jail.

Unlike director Sam Raimi ‘s original trilogy, Webb doesn’t rely on action sequences but takes time in developing characters, which gives them more depth. This is most noticeable in Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of Peter Parker, he isn’t just the Hollywood version of a nerd or geek but has a darker side and harder edge to him. And while he is a good guy and tries to do the right thing he is believable still is a teenager trying to figure out life, not just his Spider-Man persona.

And with the charming Emma Stone playing his love-interest Gwen, who already has a crush on him before he turns into a superhero, the relationship is more believable and the chemistry undeniable. Stone definably is more than just a pretty face or arm-candy but a true partner who will not be sidelined.

Of course there are still some general bases of the story that The Amazing Spider-Man covers, like the killing of Parkers Uncle Ben, but Martin Sheen’s portrayal of him is edgier and somehow that makes his death even sadder. Sally Field cast as Aunt May is brilliant, she isn’t a caricature but a real person and you can feel her pain and confusion. She is a relatable mother figure and a good solid foundation to help understand Parker’s motivations.

This reboot of Spider-Man is well worth watching and while Webb only uses the 3D effects sparsely throughout the film they tend to stand out more and seem less of a gimmick. This makes The Amazing Spider-Man just as good in two dimensions and overall a better-told story.  It is fast paced and you don’t feel the more than two hours it takes to come to the end.  The film has a sleek slightly futuristic look and feel to it, which makes it all the more enjoyable to watch.

On a side-note it is well worth mentioning that the musical score by James Horner is interesting and exciting. And for all of you, who rush out of the movies once the end credits start to roll, sit tight as may get a peek at what a sequel could hold.

falling through the cracks

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cracks, cubist painting, downward fall, falling, falling through the cracks, gingerbread woman, mental-health, miscellaneous, people, psychology, random, thoughts

I haven’t been feeling quite myself for a while now, I feel as if I am falling through the cracks. I know what triggered this feeling of unease and anxiety I am just not quite sure how to stop it.

As the  cracks widen and become more and more like canyons I am running out of glue and sting to hold it all together. It’s not just that my surroundings are crumbling making way for a downward fall, it’s myself that is cracking, crumbling into pieces like  a gingerbread woman.

But then maybe stopping it isn’t the issue, maybe it’s about letting those cracks break open and let yourself fall apart, hoping you can reassemble yourself as best you can. Of course you don’t want to end up looking like a cubist painting by Picasso, your nose on your cheek and your ears and eyes anywhere but where they should be but maybe by letting yourself break you can change who you are and leave out the bad parts when you put the jigsaw of your life back together.

So maybe falling  apart or in between the cracks can be a start for something new, to find out something about yourself you didn’t know or discover a new way of looking at the world and your place in it. Possibly it can test your strength and make you confront your fears and desires, find out if what you thought was right really is.

Sadly at the moment all I can hope for is not to take to much of a wrong step and end up falling through the cracks to a place I can’t come back from, or breaking into so many pieces that I can’t put myself back together again.

I think for now I will go out and buy some superglue and string and hope the knot holds till I’m ready to fall.

Joyful Noise

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celebrities, Dolly Parton, entertainment, Film Review, film reviews, gospel choir, Jeremy Jordan, joyful noise, Keke Palmer, Kris Kristofferson, movies, music, Queen Latifah

Riding on the coattails of the TV series Glee Joyful Noise is the story of a small town gospel choir competing to be the best in their field.  With Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton in the lead, great music, strong voices and a mix of beautiful and quirky young singers you’d think that Joyful Noise has the perfect combination to be a fun-filled film. But a bit like Dolly Parton’s wardrobe it only ends up being a little bit tacky and gaudy and sadly lacks the charm that Dolly has to make it work.

The story is simple; when the choirmaster Bernard Sparrow (Kris Kristofferson) dies Pastor Dale (Courtney B. Vance) decides to name Vi Rose Hill (Latifah) as his successor, sidelining Sparrow’s widow GG (Parton) in the process.  Loyalties are split but while the two main characters try to work it out a Romeo and Juliet scenario develops between GG’s grandson Randy (Jeremy Jordan) and Vi Rose’s daughter Olivia (Keke Palmer).

As the story plods along the choir practises to compete in the final sing-off concert, Parton and Latifah fight, sing and dislike each other, Jordan and Palmer make-out, sing and rebel against the rules. But nothing feels real; the scenes are often over-acted and the dialogue is dull, self-deprecating and always unrealistic.

The last big number comes as a surprise when suddenly bit-players have interesting solos but have otherwise only feature a few minutes throughout the film. But then this fits into the messy stitching that holds the plot together.

Another surprise is the fact that although she is forever present on our screens and in our ears it has taken Dolly Parton twenty years to return to the big screen in a lead role, why she chose GG in Joyful Noise is anyone’s guess.

All in all Joyful Noise is filled with good songs, bad lip-synching, a tired love story and many dull moments. The only thing that save’s this film from being a total fiasco are the two young rising stars Jordan and Palmer and the two real live divas Latifah and Parton.

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Friends with Children

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Chris O’Dowd, Edward Burns, entertainment, film, Friends with Childern, Jason Frymann, Jennifer Westfalt, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Megan Fox, reviews

We’ve all seen it happen: friends get married, have kids and change. Not that they want to, not that they intend to but they do! Writer, actor and first time director Jennifer Westfalt and her long-time partner the mad man himself Jon Hamm , have watched  this happen to their friends and decided to turn experience into the film “Friends with Children”.

This funny, heart-warming and at times very sarcastic film tells the story of six friends, two couples and two singles. It all starts off very Sex in the City with the friends having dinner in a chic Manhattan restaurant appalled by the children at the neighbouring table. When the hot and heavy couple Ben (Jon Hamm) and Missy (Kristen Wiig) return from a quickie in the toilets, Leslie (Maya Rudolph) and Alex (Chris O’Dowd) announce to their friends that they are pregnant and swear that nothing will change.

Four years later it is a totally different story. While Leslie and Alex struggle to manage two kids and have moved to Brooklyn, Missy and Ben seem to only communicate through snide comments over their baby’s buggy. Forced to witness these changes  Adam (Jason Frymann) and Julie (Jennifer Westfalt) congratulate themselves on being free and single, the only problem is they both would like kids. So as they watch their friends fall apart the singletons make a pack to have a child together, share all the benefits and responsibilities but NOT be a couple.

At first things seem to work out and both find bliss with gorgeous partners. Adam hooks up with curvaceous dancer Mary Jane (Megan Fox) and Julie finds the perfect male specimen in the delicious Kurt (Edward Burns).  But as nothing can last, not even in a romantic comedy, soon everything changes and trouble follows.

Somehow Westfalt has managed to take a seemingly mundane topic and turn it into a series of traps and twists that define the characters and show how parenthood changes them.  And while it is very funny at times and you can’t help being torn between laughing at and crying for the parents this film is still very honest and even real if you can look past the incredible beauty selected on screen.

Wigg is wonderful with her icy stares and snide comments, Hamm plays a man who regrets and thus drinks very well and Rudolph and O’Dowd make a loveable quirky couple whose warmth always shines through.  And even though Fryman does a great job of portraying a man who thinks he only wants sex to find out what he really wants is love, the show is all about Westfalt.

Not only did she direct this film beautifully and her script is witty and resourceful but her character Julie shows all the raw emotions of a woman looking for love, not wanting to compromise but knowing that time is running out.

And while you may be reminded of “When Harry met Sally” or other rom-com classics “Friends with Children” is a clever film that is not afraid to take a few risks and show life as messy and colourful as we all know it can be. A must see film of the summer, whether you are parents or not.

 

Think like a Man (Act like a Lady)

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Act like a Lady Think like a Man, Chris Brown, entertainment, Film Review, Gabrielle Union, He’s just not that into You, Kevin Hart, Meagan Good, Michael Ealy, reviews, rom-com, Steve Harvey, Think like a Man

Just like the dating book “He’s just not that into You” Steve Harvey’s bestseller “Act like a Lady, Think like a Man” has now been scooped up by Hollywood and turned into a motion picture.

Centring around a group of friends from an interracial Basketball team and the women in their lives the story follows how both men and women play the dating-game.

Entertainer Steve Harvey and his book link the stories together by unabashedly stereotyping the characters into categories: The Peter Pan type, the man who just does not want to grow up and take on responsibility; the Mama’s Boy, the man who always puts his mother first, the Hit-and-Quit-it guy, the man who stops being romantic once he has had sex, or the “cookie” as Harvey calls it and then there is the woman who acts like a man.

As each sub-plot plays out the book gives solutions to each problem, like the 90-day rule before she surrenders the “cookie”, or make him chose between his mother and you and so forth. Sadly the film fails to be original, the script is not very funny and the talented cast (Michael Ealy, Chris Brown, Kevin Hart, Gabrielle Union, Meagan Good etc) seems flat.

In many ways “Think like a Man” feels like an African-American version of “He’s just not into you”, it has the same structure of mix and match stories, the characters are only superficial and there is no real passion or twists to the plot. The solutions for the problems are either common sense or just a whole load of nonsense and it doesn’t help that Steve Harvey pops up throughout the movie pretending to know it all. More often than not it feels like one long advertisement for the book but just not selling it.

As rom-coms go “Think like a Man” is no worse than many out there, but if you are looking for laugh-out-loud moments or clever punch lines they are few and far between and you always see them coming.  Overall it may be better to spend the night at home with a box of cookies and watch on-demand TV.

planlessness

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baggy pants, miscellaneous, photography, random, rest of the day, saturday afternoon, spending time, thoughts, travel

It’s Saturday afternoon and I have no plans, no idea what to do with the rest of the day or the night. This means I can lounge around all day in what ever baggy pants and t-shirt I want, not even bothering to wear a bra or brush my hair, I don’t have to worry about beautifying myself to look my best in the hope of attracting someone. Nor do I have to hurry from one place to the next, grabbing a coffee on the go but can indulge in long leisurely cups of tea.

Of course I know that planning helps us reach goals, strategically lay out tasks and even our lives but being without a plan suits me just fine for today. This state of planlessness allows me to just be and daydream about all things I could be doing, even if I end up doing nothing at all.

And since I have no plans and my brain is daydreaming of a sunnier Saturday spending time on the beach or of a trip to somewhere else, I have no real concept of what to write about. But maybe the benefit of having no plan is the fact that you can do what ever you please so I think I will just sit back and let the day proceed and allow it to drop whatever plan it has in store for me into my lap.

an unplanned photo I took in Finland a few years ago

on the air

Tags

Bloody Sunday, croke park, Dublin, entertainment, football, GAA, Germany, greece, Ireland, music, sports, U2, Westlife

I was having a lazy morning finishing my book when music drifted in through the window and tickled my ear. At first I thought it was my neighbours listening to very loud music, but the more I heard the more I realized that this couldn’t be, after all my neighbours don’t really listen to ballads or pop, they listen to the techno beat variety.

As I sat back and listened, straining to hear what it was and were it was coming from I suddenly knew: Croke Park, the big stadium just up the road from where I live and the home of the GAA. For over a hundred years Croke Park has been at the center of Irish sports, now it is also the go-to arena for big music events, after all it is the fourth largest stadium in Europe. It’s also the place where the first Irish Bloody Sunday took place, when in 1920 innocent Gaelic football fans were gunned down spilling blood onto the playing field. An important historical event that U2 refers to in their song “Bloody Sunday” which is about the second shedding of innocent blood on a Sunday in Derry in 1972.

So with the where locked down now all I had to find out was the what or who. Suddenly “Poet’s Heart” floated on the air and I knew it had to be Westlife. Now, I am not a Westlife fan but living in Dublin there is no real escaping them and their music does seem to strike several cords with many. So as  I sat and read the last few pages of my book I enjoyed the far away concert, as if it was my own personal little serenade.

I know that this was only the sound check so I am expecting more of the same just louder and with a roar of fans this evening. But as I also know that Germany is playing Greece tonight and a group of people are gathering in a neighbours home to watch and cheer on the German team. So I am expecting an interesting mix of Irish song and German cheers (or groans) to be on the air tonight, a perfect mash-up of sport and lyrics, a tribute to the historical stadium that Croke Park is.