We Need to Talk About Kevin should be called We Need to Talk ...Period

I really enjoyed this film. I had waited eagerly for it to come out in the cinema after watching the teasers and trailers. From the glimpses given us, we the potential audience saw what looked like the making of a mass murderer. The small snippets also gave the impression that Kevin was born damaged. In other words, born bad or evil.

First of all I have to take my hat off to the three principal actors here.   Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly and Ezra Miller all gave a real tour de force in the way of performances. At no time did I not believe fully and totally in their characters. I of course have long loved the acting talents of Ms Swinton. I first became aware of her massive talent when I saw her in Constantine with Keanu Reeves. So honestly I really expect no less than the best from her performance. John C Reilly gave a thoroughly great turn as the father who doesn't really know what is going on. The real jewel in the crown though, is Ezra Miller as Kevin. This young actor sold it. He has been acting since 2008 and it shows in his masterful performance as the troubled and troubling teen.


Director Lynne Ramsay along with Rory Kinnear did a brilliant job of adapting the book for the screen. In the book everything is told via the mother in letters. By using flash-backs, flash-forwards and present time inter-play they solved the problem of telling a story in a monotonous fashion. And the story is a good 'un.


Essentially about Kevin, the story shows us his birth, child-hood and all the events that appear to show that he will ultimately turn out bad. He does indeed fulfil our expectations, but rather than believing that Kevin was really bad from the womb, we find that he had a lot of help from mum and dad.


Tilda Swinton as Kevin's mother is a mixture of post natal depression, passive aggressive anxiety and sullen silence. She fails to bond with Kevin when he is born and never really manages to connect with him in a maternal way. It is almost as though she were the same mental age as Kevin. She at no time takes on the role of "grown-up." John C. Reilly as Kevin's dad comes across as one of those "matter-of-fact" dads. He always seems to be on the side of reason and understanding, but only on the most superficial level.


This dysfunctional family then decide to have another child (although decide is probably a bit of a misnomer, it appears to be the result of a drunken love-fest) And of course the entry of another child causes more problems.


Ultimately when the film's events began to all come together to show what happened on the fateful day, I felt that they didn't need to talk about Kevin at all. They just needed to talk. No one and I mean no one ever sat down and really spent time talking about anything. Problems were discussed very lightly if at all. The other apparent thing about the film was that Kevin took after mom. Dad placidity was not evident in Kevin's personality. No, Kevin seemed to have gotten all the "good stuff" from mom's gene-pool.


All in all this was a powerful film. Disturbing and thought provoking, this is not a film to be taken lightly. So if you are looking for a film that you can set back and eat popcorn and drink fizzy and enjoy, you might want to give it a miss. But if you like a film that makes you think and talk about it long after you've seen it? This one hits the mark.

Weather

I can get really frustrated at the weather in this country. I have lived in quite a few places in the world. I have also visited a lot more. I have experienced weather in them all. I can say, with very little reservation, that the weather is the most frustrating here.

It is a topic that everyone talks about. When bumping into friends and acquaintances the first or second subject that will crop up is the weather. We complain about, joke about, and worry about the weather. It seems to be so unpredictable that even the weathermen have difficulty in guessing it's next move.

You can start out the day with glorious sunshine. It is warm and the outside looks so inviting. The early appearance of the sun galvanizes you. Energy flows though every vein of your body. Quick! Get the washing machine going. Get out the lawn mower and clippers. Get out the bucket for washing the windows and the car. While scurrying about getting everything ready for your sun filled day, you also plan on what to do in the way of leisure. A walk or perhaps a visit to the seaside. And in the afternoon maybe we'll drag the barbecue out of the shed and do some burgers.

Don't bother.

I can guarantee you that before the washing machine has finished it's first cycle, the clouds will come. The temperature will drop. The wind will pick up, all the better to move more clouds in. The rain will start dripping and dropping in it's build up to the sporadic rain that will fill the rest of the day.  Your energy level plummets back to normal. Only now you have to rush around and put away all the things that you got out in preparation for your glorious sun-filled day.

You now put the kettle on for a cup of coffee, or tea if you are a native of this country, and have a grumble about the 'bloody weather' while you re-plan your days activities. Of course the first thing you will need to do after having your meditative "cuppa"  is get out the airer. Clothes don't get dry in the rain and the dryer is expensive to use. The rest of the day is spent with the feeling that you have been cheated. You feel as though everything else you are doing has a bitter feel to it. In essence you are bummed.

Of course throughout the day, the sun can make the occasional appearance. The wind will drop. And the rain? Well here is the frustrating part, the rain can (and quite often does) keep right on raining. Or not. But rest assured, that whatever the weather is doing for the rest of the day, you will not be able to plan your activities around it.

Now the day is finishing. The light is fading and night starts creeping in. But wait! What's this? The clouds are going away! The sky becomes clear and star filled. I generally start swearing when this happens.

Now I don't mind too much that I can't plan my day around the weather. I also realise that we will, hopefully, get some sunny days to enjoy. I do wish though, that if it has to  rain - and yes I do know that it is a necessity - that it could rain at night, not during the day. Still if wishes were horses beggars would ride. So I'll just have to keep my umbrella at the ready and make sure I have a good pair of wellies.

Take notice of the film Take Shelter

After my abysmal experience watching the 2011 version of The Thing, I was going to give films a rest for a while.  But like a cowboy who's been thrown off his horse, I decided to get right back in the saddle. I'm glad I did. Because if I had not, I would have missed the brilliance that is Take Shelter.

This brilliant "little" film was noticed by my daughter Meg. She had seen a trailer and it  piqued her interest. We decided to check it out. Am I glad we did.

Take Shelter is a film written and directed by relative newcomer Jeff Nicols. It stars Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain and Shea Whigham. Michael Shannon, fresh from working on Boardwalk Empire, gives a more than impressive performance as Curtis. Curtis is a typical "every-man" who is suffering from violent and intense dreams - or are they visions? He is also beginning to hear things. Jessica Chastain  plays his loving wife, who despite her anger and frustration at her husbands strange behaviour, supports him as much as she can. Shea Whigham is Curtis's best friend who he has a falling out with. Tova Stewart gives an absolutely delightful performance as Curtis's hearing impaired daughter.

I have, after watching this film, become a Michael Shannon fan-boy. He has an "old fashioned" look about him. He makes me think of a cross between two late actors, Vic Morrow and Chuck Conners. *Shannon is actually six feet three inches tall* He is well know for playing "twitchy" characters. I do know that he made me really care about his character. In fact all the main actors gave me the feeling that they were folks I have known or worked with.

The visions (?) that Curtis sees deal  a lot with some kind of super storm. He decides that he must improve their tornado shelter. Despite losing his job and not being able to afford it he continues with his improvement plan. He is also beginning to suspect that his visions are really some sort of mental illness. I cannot go any further into the plot of the film for fear of giving too much away.

This film looked beautiful. The cinematography is stunning and crisp. The writing is perfect, it allows the actors to fully flesh out their characters and gives the viewers a tense emotional ride. We spend almost the entire film worrying about whether Curtis is nuts or if he really knows something that no one else does.

I always judge how good a film is by how I feel when it reaches the end frame. If I immediately want to watch it again, I know it is a brilliant film. When Take Shelter finished, I did want to see it all over again.

Take Shelter is a little hard to fit into a genre, but, it definitely should be seen. It is a real shame that something this good did not even receive a nod at the Oscars. 

The Thing - A Prequel? Only at the End.

After putting it off far too long, I finally watched the "prequel re-make" of John Carpenter's The Thing. At the end of the film I found myself asking only one question.

Why?

Now I will be the first to admit that Carpenter's The Thing is itself a re-make. Christian Nyby and Howard Hawks first brought the film to the big screen in 1951. It featured James Arness (who does indeed look like a giant carrot as suggested by author Stephen King) heavily made up and very unfriendly. The creature is dispatched at the end of the film via an electric sidewalk.

John Carpenter re-imagined the film in 1982 and it became a classic. Brooding, suspenseful and menacing, it set the standard for economically telling a story and creating characters you could form a bond with. It was suitably scary with moments of genuine humour. In fact I would go as far as to suggest that Carpenter's The Thing should be used as a template on how to make a good film. *I would also add  James Cameron's Terminator 2 to that very short list*

Now we have the "prequel" The Thing 2011.  I will say that the special effects were beyond spectacular. Sadly, that is the  only good thing I can bring myself to say about the film. Despite the fact that the director and the producers set the pacing of the film at breakneck speed, I did not care about any of it.


The characters were not even two dimensional creations. They all appeared to be one dimensional filler. No one, apart from Mary Elizabeth Winstead's character, had a clear cut "job" in the film.  Winstead was supposed to be the "heroine," yet her character was so lacklustre and flat that I found myself not really caring whether she lived, died, or defeated the alien. Every other character in the film seemed to be used to fill one or two functions. I can envision the director saying, "Right we need a large cast that an alien needs to chew through. We also need enough people that we can group one bunch as victims and one bunch as aliens. Since that really is all they are going to be doing, we won't bother with giving them specific things to do in the film."

Yes the film did zoom along. Like a runaway train it sped to the conclusion, to it's detriment.  The script had so many holes, gaps and glaring omissions that I am actually amazed that it managed to run for an entire 103 minutes. But, having said that, the film felt much longer.

I will say that the last bit of the film - the "teaser-like" flashes we the audience got intermixed with the end credits - did indeed fill the bill as a prequel. Sadly, it was really the only part of the film that I got anywhere near excited about.

So my final verdict about the film? Great FX! Mediocre characters and performances with the only real prequel being at the end of the film. I am so glad I did not see this at the cinema.

I would have asked for my money back.

Exit

I did not know him that well. I am not even sure how long I have known him. What I do know is he was one of those people that we meet and interact with all too infrequently in life. He was one of the rare breed.

He was a nice chap.

During the time I have worked with him I have never heard him say one ill word against another person. He was one of those folks who always seemed so pleased to see you. And to the best of my knowledge he greeted everyone the exact same way, a big smile and he was happy to see you. I know that I was always happy to see him and work with him.

Again, I did not know that much about him. But I did know that he liked films and he loved racing motorbikes. He had recently injured himself in a race and we all made good natured fun at his expense. He always saw the humour in this. This was not out of character for him at all. He was one of the few people I have ever met that literally no one had a bad thing to say about.

I learned today that he has made an early exit from our realm. In the blink of an eye one of the nicest people I have ever had the privilege to know or work with has gone. It smacks of travesty this early exit. As a friend said earlier today, "I can think of so many other people who I'd rather see go than him." 

Indeed.

I am fifty-three years old and I still cannot get used to how quickly and viciously death can snatch life away. Another friend said that this all feels so unreal. I know what he means. Like everyone who is touched by this sort of thing, I keep thinking someone will say, "Sorry! We were only kidding around. It's not true." Sadly, oh so sadly, it is true. 

All that keeps going through my head is that stupid phrase: "Elvis has left the building." In this case though it is not Elvis but one hell of a nice guy named Pete.

So long Pete, it was nice knowing you and it is a damned shame you had to leave so soon. I hope that where ever you are they have films and motorbikes and all the other things that made you...you.

You will be missed.

On Hold

Everyone at one point or another gets their life put on hold. By that I mean, you get put in a "holding pattern." Like an aircraft you are just circling around waiting to land. And like an aircraft, your life is "up in the air."

Getting your life put on hold is common. It can happen for a variety of reasons. Illness, accidents, moving, becoming unemployed, the list can go on and on. These reasons are related only by the fact of their occurrence and the effect they have on your lifestyle...and the pursuit of it.

Getting put on hold can range from being a minor nuisance to a major catastrophe. Minor nuisance examples are being put on hold on the telephone.

Over here whenever you ring a customer service hotline, you almost invariably enter a queue. Apparently, everyone picks the same time to call and complain or get a problem sorted out. When the customer hotline responds to your call, you are immediately informed that you have entered a queue and what your place is in it. While you are waiting the telephone version of Muzak is pumped into your ear. This drone of sometimes classical, sometimes "bubble-gum" pop music is interrupted periodically by a pre-recorded voice. This voice informs you that "Your call is important to us. We will answer your query shortly." I am sure this is meant to be reassuring and calming. It does neither for me. It does, however, give a much needed break from the "hold" music.

Major catastrophes are a slightly different kettle of fish. These on hold occurrences generally don't have the sort of time period that can be counted by how far you are in the queue. These on hold periods can last indefinitely. Sometimes for the rest of your life. 

What both of these "on hold" things have in common is that loss of control. They make you feel helpless, and in the case of the more major instances, you feel disoriented. In both cases you might as well be running on a treadmill. Both legs churning furiously, but going nowhere at all. 

In the case of the telephonic on hold, we can at least take comfort in the knowledge that sooner or later, we will actually get to speak to a real person.

In the case of the life on hold? We can always take comfort in the knowledge that at the very least, we don't have that damn music droning in our ear while we wait to get our life back on track.

Manipulators

The world is full of manipulators. We all know at least one, although I think that the figure of "one" is much too low. Unfortunately, manipulators are not easy to recognise. They do not have a sign around their necks stating their intent or (unfortunately) saying "unclean." But if you look carefully you can spot the signs or signals that these "people" exhibit.

It is not easy.

Manipulators always put their "best" face forward. In other words they all "appear" to be sweetness and light on the outside. It is only on further dealings with them that they reveal their "true" nature. If you are lucky, you will catch  on to what they are doing quickly. If you are like most folks, you will not. What true manipulators do best is act one way when dealing with you, but, do the opposite when talking about you or setting you up to take a fall.

For example, I know one such manipulator who likes to present a "picture" of all sweetness and innocence. Butter would not melt in their mouth. This same person also uses words in their vocabulary that would make a twenty-year sailor blush...a lot. This person is very skilled at using smoke and mirrors at deflecting anything that might be misconstrued as "unflattering" by batting their eyelashes and swearing that they could not possibly not be a nice person.

 I would like to say that this "two-faced" so-and-so got their comeuppance. Unfortunately that still remains to be seen. Maybe one day they will be found out, but not any time soon, I am thinking. For manipulators are very good at what they do. Manipulate.

They skilfully play one side against the other.

Telling one person one thing, then, completely contradicting themselves to someone else. These manipulators will even do so in print. Easily confident they they will not be caught out they play this game with an adroitness that is almost scary. And more often than not they succeed.

Why? Because all of us who are not manipulators do not want to believe that our fellow man is capable of such chicanery. We all tend to believe the best of the people we meet and greet each day. Until we have been shown the error of our ways, we continue to do so.

If we are lucky enough we can discover who the manipulators are in our lives and sever ties with them.  For that is the only way to deal with this type of person. The answer is to cut off relations of any type. You cannot trust someone who has no qualms at attempting to do you harm to get ahead. If you are fortunate enough to discover who is manipulating you act immediately.

Start cutting.