all dressed up nowhere to go

Tags

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.

 

Film review: detachment

Tags

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.