ESSIE SPENDS TIME WITH THE FAMILY

Well hello. I'm sorry I've been away so long and left no note. I'd totally get it if you left and never came back. I hope you don't though. Because I am back and back for good.

I was very busy. I was very tired. I was not sleeping much. I neglected you little blog. I neglected you beloved readers. I am very, very sorry.

Let this be a new beginning. Christmas and New Year are, after all, times to put away the old and prepare to start anew. I have had a glorious Christmas, spent in good company and am fully ready to embrace the new year.

What has your Christmas been like? Have you spent time with your loved ones? I'm assuming the answer is yes as I prepare this updates - I have a family friendly set of films for you today. A twosome ideal for young ones and big kids alike. I hope you enjoy them. And as I won't be seing you before the New Year (update day is officially Sunday peeps, make a note in your diaries, tell all your friends! (yes, I did just ask you to retweet/repost me lol) ) have a very, very Happy New Year.

happy viewing,
Essie

SOMETIMES, AT CHRISTMAS, YOU WANT TO SHAKE THINGS UP A BIT : "MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO"

Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. It has very little to do with the religious side of it. For as long as I remember my family has celebrated Christmas despite there being at least three different religions (not counting sub-divisions) and a whole slew of atheists in the mix. It’s an excuse to get together, eat, drink and exchange presents. I mean of course, all families are complicated and no doubt there is at least one family member you would have rather avoided until, oh I don’t know, next Christmas. Or the Christmas after that. But you have got to put those differences aside. It is the season of Peace and Love. And you just can’t get into fights over whether animated movies “count” or not over the dinner table – for some reason people seem to find it awkward…  Besides, it’s always good to not sweat the small stuff and let a bit of the season’s magic into your life. It has been a long year. It’s time to unplug and relax for a bit.

This is why I think that this film is, in a bizarre way, an ideal Christmas movie. It’s definitely for the whole family, it involves magic, wonder and all the good feelings you associate with Christmas. I mean ok, it’s an anime movie. Not what you would initially think of as a Christmas movie. But it is an anime classic, courtesy of Hayao Miyazaki, master of anime. Trust me, it’s worth giving a whirl. Let me try and convince you.

Satsuke and Mei  have just moved to the country. It’s a lovely old house with loads of nooks and crannies to explore. It’s a bit of a mixed bag as far as emotions go and the girls’ mother is very ill and has to be in hospital. But their Dad is doing his best to cheer them up and between exploring the surroundings and meeting their neighbours the girls have a lot to occupy their minds.  Speaking of neighbours, some of them are a little bit stranger than others. Satsuke isn’t quite sure what to make of her little sister’s claims of seeing a giant grey furry creature in the woods… But as time goes by she begins to realise that there are more to her little sisters’ claims than she initially thought… The question is what will happen when this magical world collides with the two sisters’ real world problems?

Now first of all, let me just say how happy I was to see this fellow on television as part of the Christmas season films! I love this huge international world we live in where cultural niblets from all over the world find their way into our living rooms. Granted, Miyazaki is about as big and international as it gets for anime; if you know one director it will probably be him and if you know one studio that specialises in anime it will be “his” studios – Ghibli. That said, I am confident that this may well be the first step of a voyage of discovery for some. Anime gets a bit of a bad rep. Well, sometimes this is justified. But come on, there are many “unsuitable” films out there – we don’t brand the entire film industry as “unsuitable” do we? My neighbour Totoro is a beautiful film with heart-warming characters that younger viewers with empathize with and that the “big kids” in the audience will simply adore. Just enough excitement and home again in time for tea. We have all the “trappings” of “big brand” animated entertainment but with some local flavour and a personal twist as opposed to the studio films we have grown to love but also anticipate down to the finest detail. I can personally guarantee this film will be a welcome addition to the film cabinet of anyone who wants to take a step away from the every day. A small step. But just enough J  

AND SOMETIMES IT'S ABOUT RE-VISITING OLD FRIENDS: "TANGLED"

But of course Christmas is also about traditions. It’s about coming back to your roots (family meetings being a key personification of this fact) and all things being equal it’s about spending some family time, having way too much good food and having a bit of a rest at the end of the year before you embark on doing the whole thing all over again. It’s good to have familiar things around one at times like this. That’s why “Christmas films” is an entire genre; the themes are familiar but we watch them time and again and we all have our favourites we will never, ever tire of. That’s why we love Disney movies at Christmas time. And that’s why, much to my joy, there was a whole slew of re-runs on television of the year’s films. I had missed quite a few. Tangled was one of them. We all love our fairy tales right? That’s what Disney basically does – tell us fairy stories. What it has been very clever about doing though, is taking the classic fairy stories we all know and love and putting a spin on them. The stories keep up with the times, they fit in with the lives of the younger generations – lives a million miles apart from ours at their age. And yet, somehow, we all crowd round these films and enjoy them. Yes I am a massive fan of Disney. And Pixar.

Tangled is the story of a beautiful princess. When this princess was born, she had one magical quality : her hair. Her hair not only grew whenever she sang, it had the ability to heal and rejuvenate the people around her. The only pre-requisite is that the hair stays on the princess’ head as the moment it is cut, it loses its’ magic. Now of course this is an incredible resource for anyone – but a particularly wicked witch decides that she wants the hair all for herself. So the takes it. Princess and all. Having taken it/her as a baby she also has the time to make up a cover story. As far as Rapunzel is concerned the witch is her mother, the outside world is a very dangerous place – she has never left her isolated tower in her life – and her existence will be entirely lived out in that tower. Except, you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men; so will go the witch’s plans. For all her conditioning and upbringing, Rapunzel still dreams of the outside world. This year she is turning 18 and despite all her mothers’ tactics she dreams of the outside world. And she is getting a little too big to be contained in the tower… However, for all her strength of character Rapunzel has never, ever lived in the outside world so she will need a guide. And she will get a guide in the shape of a passing rogue, Flynn Rider… But is the outside world all Rapunzel dreams of and more? Or is her “mother” actually right? Is she really simply too ill-equipped for the outside world?

I love what the film has done with the classic story of Rapunzel on so many levels. I mean, fairy stories have such a lot to work with though, don’t they? First of all, fairy stories only provide the bare essentials about their characters. No backstories, no actual character development, they are just dropped in fully formed and our imaginations have to do the rest of the work. This story gives Rapunzel a personality. And it is by no means perfect. I mean yes, she is a Disney princess so she has the “makings” of perfection (as it were), but to start with, she is far, far from it. On the outside world Rapunzel really struggles to cope. And like a lot of us who leave the safety of our family home to face the great “outdoors”, she has to grow up very quickly. This point is precisely why Tangled is so easy to empathize with. It is, essentially, about leaving home. A universal theme everyone can empathize with and we have all struggled with. For all the magical elements, the songs and comedy, it’s about taking those first faltering steps out of the nest… And the best part of it? This is a Disney fairy tale… So guaranteed happy ending in the end (oh come on, that’s not a spoiler). The film is, in short, a warm, relatable modern fairy tale. Our heroine is a Disney princess with just a spot of relatability (is that a word? It should be!) and it guarantees a new meeting with old friends – a bit like Christmas itself. 

ESSIE SPEAKS OF HIDDEN DEPTHS

Human beings are a funny old lot aren't they? Our main characteristic is supposedly self-awareness but we are not truly aware of our talents, abiilities or potential until we are truly pushed - or we push ourselves. We would like to think - no small thanks to Hollywood cinema - that when pushed what comes out of us will be beautiful and noble and true and all that... The reality however? Well it could potentially be so different...

This week we see two very different stories about people, couples, communities finding "things" hidden deep in their souls. Some are brave and beautiful. Some are dark and... Well... Let's say it'll leave you wondering what exactly you would end up doing when pushed...

happy viewing y'all!
Essie

DARKNESS YOU NEVER KNEW HE HAD... "ALL GOOD THINGS"

Oooh I love a good crime story. Especially a true story. As you know, the ghoulish side of me relishes in a good true crime story. Now don’t tut or roll your eyes (that means you Mom) –it’s just a side of me that hasn’t quite grown up. You know, when we were kids we loved to sit in the dark, around a campfire if you grew up in that kind of environment or in a fort made of duvets with torches and tell each other scary stories. It grew up a bit that’s all. But its basic tastes didn’t change. Oh come on. You remember how we all swore those “legends” we told each other “really happened” and the thrill that went down our spines when we thought about it. Now, in the 21^st century the world is “disenchanted” as it were, there is no more magic or mystery. Except, perhaps, that of the human mind and human nature. Which is why, I think, those of us who never wanted to stop believing in monsters and magic have sort of transferred our interests to true crime. A world where the monsters really and truly      are real…

Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst star in the tale of David Marks and his wife Katie. They tell the story of a murder (well, at least one murder, shall we say) and a disappearance. To this day, the film informs us, the case remains open, but there are strong suspicions as to what happened… This is the story of those suspicions…

When they first got married, David and Katie Marks really looked like archetypal star-crossed lovers. He was a senator’s son looking for his place in life, she was a small town girl. They met by sheer coincidence, love blossomed young and strong. Her family was  surprised by their new son in law that hailed from almost a different dimension from them – but not unfriendly. David’s father however, was very quick to point out that “Katie would never be one of them”.  This tension is, as you can imagine, the ignition point for a crisis. A crisis that had been, it might be argued, brewing in the soul of David Marks for a long while… The marriage starts off happily enough, but very soon the veneer begins to crack. The fact that David returns to the family business  - a business that is decidedly on the shadier side of the law – is definitely part of the problem. But it has to be admitted that (thankfully) not all of us react to stress at work the way David did… Under stress, David begins to show his “true colours”… The colours are surprisingly dark…

This film does a very spookily successful job of telling the story of what seems to be a true psychopath – or a man with serious psychopathic tendencies at any rate. I was especially struck by the way the progression of the situation is shown. At the  beginning of the film David seems determined to run away from “it all” – although, it needs to be said, we do not quite understand what “it all” is until much later. One can even imagine – although this is as much my speculation as anything else – David trying  to live a simple life open a store away from the city, marry a small town girl and be a simple man. But who knows, even without the obvious trigger of his “work life” with his family , his deadly tendencies may have crept to the surface…

And I can’t help but feel deeply for poor Kate. Imagine starting off on what seems to be a fairy tale life only to find out that your “other half” is a psychopath… Mind you, violence within marriages that get “kept” from the outside world are by no means few or far between of course. But that is possibly a topic deserving of its own post, not something to be tagged onto the end of a film review.

All good things is a “build the tension slowly and creepily” type of work of film. Not too  gory so ideal for the weak of stomach. Definitely not for the weak of heart though…  

OF FINDING STRENGTH YOU NEVER KNEW YOU HAD : "OF GODS AND MEN"

Several film festivals have thrown this one up for me. I bypassed it several times. Now I know I’ve used that formula before, but the sheer amount of times life has gone “Umm, you should probably watched this” is amazing. Amazing in that I ignored every one until today. I am a strong believer that things are put in your path for a reason. Now, I’m not entirely sure if you’ll be put off by the fact that this is a film that confronts terrorists and monks or not. I personally was intrigued. But don’t worry, it’s not one of those post-modern absurd comedy thingies. It’s a true story.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, there was a monastery in Algeria. In this monastery lived  Trappist Monks, originally all from France, these men lived as part of the community; the doctor healed the sick that came from miles around and the monks worked the land and sold honey produced in the monastery to make a living. They lived a quiet and frugal existence of prayer and meditation, far removed from the complications of the “real world” (some might argue that as monks it is the real Real World the monks were working towards but that is a slightly different story – not to mention a matter of belief). But anyway. The point is, as you know, the real world tends to not react very kindly to being ignored. And when the Algerian Civil War finally finds its way to the gates of the monastery the monks have to make a very important decision. Will they stay and help defend the community that leans so heavily on the monastery? Or will they take the ehm “advice” of the Algerian government and leave?

As this is a French film, technically speaking, I was intrigued. It’s still a touchy subject, the Algerian Civil War. One has to be careful with the portrayal of the monks as well. I mean, not only are they monks – and religion is a touchy subject at the best of times in these turbulent times of ours – they are French monks in Algeria. I loved the way the first half of the film portrays the monks, often watching them silently going about their day to day tasks. There is an innate difficulty to portraying day to day tasks like this elegantly and in a way that isn’t going to bore the audience to tears in minutes. Director Xavier Beauvois succeeds greatly in imbuing you with a sense of the calm that surrounds the monastery and monastic life, and the real shock that hits the community when one day, completely unannounced and unexpected the terrorists arrive. You find that the characters and community, though you have but the most minimal knowledge of them, has grown on you.

Another thing that stuck with me is the character of Brother Christian, the “head” monk, portrayed by Lambert Wilson. There is a certain turning point in the film, until which you are pretty sure that Christian is rather unsuitable as far as a leaders go. You doubt he has the strength of character to face up to something as severe as life threatening danger, even though he may well be beyond adequate for the day to day running of monastery life. Suffice it to say, if you walked into that trap… Well, it’s a trap. What one has to remember of course is that there is more than one style of management in life, be it in monasteries or in the office. And especially when it comes to matters such as faith, fear and vocation, it takes more than an iron fist banging on the table to pull things together. For while the rookie error many managers / leaders commit is to go straight for the “banging”, in important matters such as this strength of character demonstrated with unswerving determination will often bring your flock closer to you and mould your community as a whole. If nothing else, the film is a fascinating look into the mechanisms of leadership. And faith – in God, but more importantly, in yourself and your community.

ESSIE APPOLOGISES

I just wanted to let you know that I have not abandoned my blog as yet :)

My "real world" job is in events, the Christmas period is a notoriously busy one and I am quite sick at the moment too as luck would have it, so what with one thing and another there simply has not been time for blog updates this week.

Fear not however, I have every confidence that I will be back next week - with more than two pieces to make up for it.

love you all and thanks for understanding,
Essie

ESSIE AND SUPERHEROS...

Every kid needs a hero, right? And by that I mean literally every kid, even our inner eight-year olds.

My inner eight-year old has not been a massive fan of the "superhero" phenomenon though. At least not for a while. I loved Superman when I was a kid, and by Superman I mean the old Christopher Reeve films... I never quite got on board with the Marvel franchise untill recently... Very recently. Think weeks rather than months. I was bored, friend lent me a DVD of the first Thor movie... I pretty much haven't looked back.

I enjoyed both Thor and The Avengers so much that I simply had to write and tell you all about it... I mean yes, true to style I may have "overthunk" certain bits of it but well... That's why you love me, right? :)

Now without further ado, scroll on down. We have evil to fight boys and girls!

happy viewing,
Essie

IN WHICH OTHER WORLDS ESCAPE TO US... "THOR"

I know, I know, this is mainly one for the fans. A film I mean. Not  blog post. I may have mentioned that on a normal day to day basis, Hollywood action – adventure films do not feature high on my “to watch” list. But there comes a time when even my interest is piqued. I’m guessing if you’re a fan of Marvel comics and all that that franchise entails, you have already seen this one. If, like me, you’re not THAT into comic books and the like, you may or may not be  contemplating watching it for a bit of a change one evening when you want to watch something fun but not out too much effort into philosophical analysis or complicated story lines. This is the first film of the series, the special effects are spectacular, the actors and actresses beautiful, it is everything modern Hollywood is today. What did I think of it? Well, I’m seriously considering watching The Avengers            later on this week so yeah; this should probably give you a clue…

In this first “episode” of the series, we are introduced to Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki, Norse “gods” who live in the peaceful kingdom of Aasgard ruled by their wise and benevolent father Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Thor is the elder and natural successor to the throne – and frankly he can’t wait. He’s an outstanding warrior, handsome, popular and a born leader. He is, on the other hand reckless, hot-headed and has a dangerous tendency to rush into situations without considering the consequences.  And when he opens his whole world up to the possibility of war with their eternal enemies the ice giants, Odin can find no further alternative but to banish Thor to Earth, minus his powers, to teach him a lesson in humility if nothing else. But if this is not painful enough, with Thor gone, forces within the palace that are not as friendly as they claim to be set to work… The danger of war is merely the tip of the iceberg as far these forces go. Thor may be adapting well to his new world and even making friends, especially in the person of the beautiful scientist Jane Foster (Nathalie Portman) but will he find what it takes within his soul to help him return to his duties back home and save his world?

I will not bang on and on about the entertainment value of this one. Like a lot of Marvel films, we are transported to a world of super-heroes and beautiful maidens and it is perfect, seamless, unadulterated escape from your daily woes for all of two hours. We know what we are getting and we get a good quality load. Romantic comedy, action, drama and a very well choreographed “alien getting used to our world” type comedy all rolled into one, and finished off with all the high sentiment and pumping adrenaline of classical storytelling and fairy tales. Now now, don’t get upset I called it a fairy tale. That is what it is, after all…

But there was one point I found particularly fascinating about this particular film. I loved the fact that Jane Foster is a scientist ( I do realise this is probably less to do with the film and more to do with the original storyline). But more importantly I love the fact that we are not told to just suspend disbelief and go “oh so Thor and the Norse gods are real after all – now, moving swiftly on”. The character of Jane Foster means that there is a voice constantly questioning the veracity of what is going on on screen and asking the question “well how can this be?” And sure enough, the film (or, like I said, the story itself. I haven’t read the comics so I’m not entirely sure which) provides an explanation based on physics. Now I know less about wormholes and the theory of parallel universes than I do about Marvel comics. Thus I have no idea how much the physics “stands up”. But I think it is a fascinating point that in the 20^th Century science has become so pervasive in every day life that even what would once be classed as “fairy stories”, now feel the need to provide at least a semblance of a scientific explanation for fear of alienating the audience. The mystification of the world is truly dead people, there is no mystery and no wonder… Or I mean, there is, but we are not very tolerant to it anymore. We MUST know the REASON. For some reason we simply can’t just kick back and enjoy the story…

And I mean, don’t get me wrong, perversely, I LOVED the fact that there is a scientific, “real life” explanation for it all in the film. But I just can’t shake this nagging feeling that this has become more of a “necessity” than anything else. And that we may have irretrievably lost an important part of our collective imagination… Then again, maybe the answer is to kick back and enjoy the ride. Because, if nothing else, Thor does provide a most entertaining ride. Highly recommended. 

IN WHICH WE SEE ANGER MANAGEMENT ISSUES CAN BECOME CONSTRUCTIVE : "THE AVENGERS"

The whole thing really began with my being pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Thor (2011). Having the second film close to hand, it seemed really silly not to just go ahead and watch it. I have been taking a few days off recently. A weekend away with my friends, a few “mental health” days here and there…  It’s tough work working in events in the Christmas season. Sleep is not as much a part of my schedule as I would like, nor is “down time”. In situations like these, as the film so eloquently puts it “people need a bit of old fashioned”. Oh and well… Christmas is coming. It’s the season for a little old fashioned. I mean, ok, I do realise that The Avengers is not necessarily the first thing that occurs to one when you say “Christmas Movie” but I think there’s an argument to be made there. The film is, after all, all about everyone coming together for a common good, putting differences aside, learning from each other and concentrating on doing good in the world. Not sure you know what I mean? You may have a point, I am getting ahead of myself slightly. Let’s take this step by step…

At the end of Thor, we see Loki cast into an abyss, vanquished… This, it seems, was merely a hiccup in Loki’s attempts to climb to the top. Not only has he been rescued, he has been given an army. The destination? Earth. Loki is determined to conquer the planet and claim it as his own – he will have the kingdom Asgard denied him. And the attack is so ferocious and the power he has gathered so great that it will take every single super hero the Earth can muster, ranging from the incredible Hulk to Captain America to conquer him… But even with Thor, Loki’s own brother, joining the fight, what are the odds of a handful of heroes against an entire army that is truly “out of this world”?

The answer to that question lies, of course, in the word “heroes”. The Avengers is everything a superhero movie should be – and then some. The only thing that was missing from the conventional mix was a “love interest” story which I found rather refreshing to be honest. Forcibly inserting a rather “out of the blue” love affair usually seems a little unnecessary to me.  I mean ok, there is the “attraction” between Natasha Romanoff and Hawkeye but there is a lot of military style “loyalty” mixed into that. I mean, yes, there is the hint that there may be something more to their relationship, but her will to save him is based largely on her wish to redeem her past sins. Oh and there is of course Pepper Potts and Iron Man (I think he is my favourite Avenger by the way. I find him the most “human” of the lot. I know they all have their token faults but Iron Man has actually personality issues and borders on the dysfunctional. Plus Robert Downey Jr.’s rendition of him is HILARIOUS.  ). One might argue that all of this makes to film rely a little too much on explosions, special effects and “boys toys” as it were. But honestly… Who watches The Avengers for the philosophical messages and character development?   

Another thing I noticed is that the place of humour in the movie has been notched up quite a bit. It is mainly Loki’s domain – but this is of course Character creation 101: a believable villain has to have at least one quality that we deem positive. Between him and Iron Man, the film provides quite a few genuine giggles  - always a plus in my book.

One last thing I noticed in the film is the several references to God and religion. One is when Captain America says in reference to Thor and Loki “There is only one God and I am sure he doesn’t dress like that”. The second more open reference comes towards the end when we see the clips of the aftermath of the war when a man says “it feels nice to have someone watching over us”.  The Avengers are clearly not a Parthenon of gods, but guardian angels? Possibly… It all links in to the “bit of old fashioned” the film points out we all need some times. I don’t necessarily mean the film is promoting religion in any way shape or form. I think the message is that of return to what we perceive as “old fashioned values” in the face of chaos and negativity. Things represented largely in the film by Captain America : loyalty, obedience in a soldier, self-sacrifice… He is, in fact, a stark contrast to Iron Man who is the flippant and egocentric millionaire at the beginning of the film. At the end he has learnt the value of teamwork and is even prepared to take quite a significant “one for the tem”… Heck, even the Hulk learns to use his.. “considerable anger management issues” to the greater good.

It is interesting that this model of film was so popular in the time of the Second World war – Captain America’s epoc : A disparate, unlikely crew rub each other the wrong way at first, but learn to pull together to fight a common evil… I am not really surprised that the theme has re-emerged in these days of economic uncertainty…

Of course I may be overthinking the whole thing – and I do strongly encourage you to not think about it too much and get stuck in the movie and have a good time… But I guess I’m saying there is interesting stuff to think about in there if you are inclined to a bit of post-watching analysis…