ESSIE GOES LITERARY (JUST FOR ONE WEEK)

Howdy folks!

I know, although this blog started out as being a blog of many things, it has mainly concentrated on films. But you know what, I am doing very well on some of my new years resolutions. I mean ok, it has only been two weeks but you know... It is going rather well. The resolution in question is reading more. Books I mean. Not random info on the screen. And so far I have been truly delighted in my choices :)

So this week I bring you a rather touching little true life story. It has drama, behind the scenes info on the rich and famous, love and loss...

It also has some musing of mine about art and artists in the 21st century. Not the book that is, the review.

Just scroll down, all will become clear.

have a great week!
Sedef

MORE THAN JUST THE PARIS WIFE

We are all familiar with the adage that behind every successful man there is a loving wife (or some such sexist nonsense). I believe I have made my opinion on it clear in the previous sentence. One thing, however, is true. When one half of a couple attains a mixed blessing such as world-wide recognition and fame, the other half of the couple almost always finds his/herself plunged into the darker pages of history. This was very much the case with Hadley Richardson who was the loving wife of Ernest Hemingway just around the time he became as the literary giant he truly was.

Hadley supports Ernest through those years of poverty and uncertainty, assuages his doubt, provides him with a happy home, travels all around the world with him and does her level best to get used to the Paris set, composed of great talents with even greater characters such as Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ezra pound and Gertrude Stein. Hadley truly loves Ernest and is sure that their relationship can weather any storm fame, fortune and literary scandal brings, but as Ernest spreads his wings and begins to soar, whether she can actually keep up becomes more and more dubious…

It’s always an interesting one, isn’t it, the story of a famous person told from behind the scenes, more specifically from the perspective of his long-suffering wife. But if you were hoping for an OK magazine type dish the dirt deal on Ernest Hemingway, well this isn’t quite what you are looking for. I mean, I would be the first to say that Hadley is ill-treated at times by Ernest but the book does not by any means make a martyr of her. I do hate that kind of womans story – painting the woman as an angel that was wronged at every turn by the man is one genre, but it is not realistic. And what art of every form needs is REALISTIC female characters, you know, ones that are actually true to life. And as in every relationship, one cannot lay the blame for all the problems at Ernests door, no, not by a long shot. In fact, as a woman and a writer, there were times in the book I would have liked to physically grab Hadley and try to shake some sense into her. I guess she can be forgiven on the count that it was an electric time, the changes in her day to day life were constant and difficult to follow on an emotional scale and Ernest Hemmingway – though undoubtedly truly in love with Hadley at the time – was not by nature the easiest of men to get on with (much less live with). In fact, Hemmingway’s rise to fame was fraught with scandals and arguments of many kinds. A lot of artists and folks of renown all together on one social scene means that many egos to please. And this is a scene difficult to adapt to for someone like Hadley who does not even see herself as an artist. The Paris wife is, if nothing else, a wonderful study of love pitching itself against a truly extraordinary and relatively modern phenomenon – worldwide fame.

Historically speaking, it is also an important study well-worth reading. From the 1920s onwards, paris was a truly extraordinary town to be in (did anyone watch the Woody Allen film Midnight in paris). All the artistic greats of a single generation were there, together, the atmosphere must have been electric when all these creative geniuses came together. It makes one think of a certain period in history when Vienna was the centre of creation for classical music with Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn and many more all gathered in the same city. I was wondering where this city might be today. L.A. London… No its actually more complicated than that. The creative city of the late 20^th and early 21^st century is, without shadow of a doubt, the internet. Competition is all the more fierce because it is all the more democratic, with artistic creation open to everyone but if you get into the thick of it, it is on the internet that the opportunities, the inspiration and the muses all reside. You needn’t, like Ernest and Hadley, have to physically go to a café downtown to see, be seen and meet people. All you need to do is open your browser. For the everyman, the tough bit comes about selection. Of course, the internet is what it is and the wealth of choice means – Im not being snobbish here people but you know what Im saying is definitely true in some cases – a drop in quality. What you need to do is not get side-tracked. What you need to do is do your research. And then, you have to have the strength of will to close that browser and get to the business of creating.  All you really need to do is to step away from the paths that are well-trodden and prescribed and find your own way… There are a lot of people who will say that the internet has ruined everything (whatever everything may mean) but I strongly disagree. I think it is an incredibly exciting time, where you never know when you may discover a budding artist or art form… Or indeed when a budding artist may discover themselves… 

ESSIE ON SPIES IN GENERAL AND HARRY PALMER IN PARTICULAR

You're scratching your head. You're confused. Who the heck Is Harry Palmer, you ask yourself

Aha. Well. Read the review and find out. I've never been a MASSIVE fan of spy movies as you may have noticed by the distinct lack of the aforementioned on the blog. Don't worry, I go into why that is in the review as well. But the point is that THIS articular spy movie... Did it for me. It was an exception. Michael Caine's presence may or may not have had something to do with it. 

I guess it's a good time for you to scroll right down now :)

Oh, and just incidentally... You may notice a thing or two that's new on the pages this week... See if you can spot them! :)  

happy viewing!

Essie

I WILL NOW PROCEDE TO PLAY WITH YOUR MIND... "THE IPCRESS FILE"

I know, we’re all on the quest for that one truly original story these days. There is much eye-rolling about all kind of cinematic cliché. But then again, some clichés, sometimes are not all bad. And you don’t get much more archetypal than a 60s spy movie starring Michael Caine.  But then again, as I often say, clichés are clichés for a reason. They wouldn’t have made so many of these movies if there wasn’t something about them that attracted the public – right?

Michael Caine stars as the hero of the show, Harry Palmer. He is a counter-espionage agent and he has been handed a particularly sensitive case. Some of the UKs most prolific and important scientists have started leaving their positions in drones. Not only that, one of the most important physicists, whose discoveries could give the UK the edge in the Cold War, no less, has now been kidnapped. Now, Palmer has a history of being insolent, doing things his own way and having far too much of an eye on the ladies – trouble is, he also happens to be one of the best agents in the service. Will his unorthodox methods carry him through and save the day?
Ok here's me being all technical and sh*t. Let's check out some moving pictures!

  I know it’s not a particularly novel concept to create antiheroes or to give the hero some negative characteristics (that, especially in more modern works the hero seems to redeem him-herself of without fail). But well, in the first place I was surprised they would make Palmer an anti-hero in the first place, it being the ‘60s and the “Russian Threat” being a very real thing in those days. I genuinely thought all the goodies would be “dashing”. I definitely didn’t expect them (Palmer I mean) to be, at times downright annoying. I mean the man must have been an absolute pain to work with. That said, we are entering the murky world of double agents (I won’t give you any further clues because it’s literally impossible to do without giving some plot point or other away). So, on a level it makes sense that our hero would not look quite the way we would expect him to look. Even if you are a seasoned spy film fan, I can pretty much guarantee even you will get briefly confused about who’s good, who’s bad and who’s “actually” working for who at some point in the proceedings.

And the other point is, of course that making Caine’s character a tad on the annoying side (not an actual jerk you understand, just, you know, a nigglesome bit annoying) is a lot more realistic than having him, for lack of a better word “all dashing”. He’s a top agent, used to manipulating people, outsmarting very dangerous baddies, getting it right and you know, saves the known world on a regular basis. I don’t know about you but I’m pretty sure I’d be a tad big-headed if that was MY definition of a regular day!  Needless to say Michael Caine absolutely nails it in his performance – I know he’s old-school but so am I, and I really enjoy his performance every single time ;)

Of course, coming from our modern perspective the “special effects” and the various “science things” border on the comical but I would really strongly advise you kind of suspend disbelief and just get stuck into the movie because, well, you didn’t REALLY get this far in the film because you expected fantastic HD explosions or something, did you?  Besides, it would be truly foolish of you to let this spoil a perfectly good film for you - I’ve personally never quite understood the point of view which states that “mind-blowing” special effects is almost the whole point of a film, it’s a completely different but equally erroneous school of style over substance… But I digress…

The again, of course, this is the 21^st century, everything is extremely visual and parts of the audience (not all, but definitely parts) want to be almost literally spoon-fed storylines without making a particular effort to “unravel” a darn thing. And I’m not even talking about unravelling some Tarkovsky film or the philosophical musings of Terrance Malik. Consider Bond films. It is only recently, under the “tutelage” of Sam Mendes that Bond is “slightly too old” a bit insecure about his abilities and even genuinely confused about the loyalties of the ones around him. But before that for the most part (say, since the mid ‘60s where this films hails from) Bond was perfect, for my taste; he’s slightly simplistic, won every battle – and never really provides one with any kind of doubt as to whether he would ACTUALLY make it or not . Bond films were all in all a rather brilliant collection of whatever the visual effects technology of the day could offer – especially in areas such as shoot-outs, high-speed chases, explosions etc.  – and not much else. That’s probably why I’ve never REALLY been a fan of Bond – I mean I have said a million times before, I’m all for escapist entertainment, but what is the REAL point if you know exactly what is going to happen in the end? You can get only so much pleasure from HOW you get there (in my universe) but basically, the moment I start, I know he’s going to beat the baddie, get the girl and save the world and my interest in watching is down to roughly a third of what it was (not very high in the first place). The one recent exception was Skyfall, where I had a moment’s hesitation what with all the build-up on Bond being so unsure of himself and all…

Ok, so, The Ipcress File. Definitely one for your head, not your “sense of explosion”. It may have been a combination of both at the time (this kind of film inevitably was – is). Now, with the “role” of the visual significantly diminished by our raised standards, do you know what… The part for the head STILL appeals. If you actually enjoy using your head when watching films, that is. And if you don’t, you know what, it’s a pretty darn good place to start… 

ESSIE AND THE AMERICAN HORROR STORY...

I know... In the first place, why on earth am I updating the blog on New Year's Eve and secondly, could I not have at least found something a tad more festive to update it with.

Well... I mean first of all, for me films, movies, thinking about movies and talking about movies never  stops. Like, ever. I'm heading out about town tonight, I'll end up talking movies at some point. I mean heck, I spent one party having a 3 hour discussion on the cinema of Terrance Malik. We were swigging Jaegermeister from the bottle if memory serves (or was that a different party). It's one of those people I haven't looked up in an age and really should - who knows they may beat me to it! :)

But enough about me. For some of us, New Years Eve is not about joining a milling crowd - my flatmate much refers being on his own (although that's not happening if his 9 year old has anything to do with it). And honestly, if I were staying in, I can't think of a better series to sit down and marathon. I mean, it'll definitely keep you u all night. You know... For the New Year...

happy viewing folks - and ha y New Year!
Essue

HUDDLE UNDER THE BLANKET AND LISTEN TO A GOOD OLD FASHIONED "AMERICAN HORROR STORY"

I have been away from the “TV series” scene for a while now. I watch a lot of moves and go to the cinema quite a bit but haven’t “got into” the whole series thing for a while now. I mean, I’m quite picky with these things anyway, and I have been craving something original for a while now. This was recommended to me by a friend, I decided to check out one episode on the insistence of friends. What started out as me just checking out one episode quickly turned into a seven episode marathon that I had to literally force myself away from. I am fully aware that I am waay behind in proceedings – season 4 for this baby being broadcast and all. But have no fear, I am two seasons in and ploughing on as fast as I can to catch up! In the meanwhile though, I think I have a good enough grasp on the whole thing – and you DEFINITELY need to hear all about this one!

So, American Horror story is an anthology of horror stories. The stories are linked principally bt their themes – these are all “classic” American horror stories we all somehow know and love; the first season tells the story of a haunted house, second, a mental asylum where more than one kind of monster lurks beneath the surface of normality, third a selective boarding school that is actually coven of witches and the fourth current one an old fashioned freak show.

The second element that links the anthology is the cast. Not the whole cast – that would be slightly impractical and not a little weird, but quite a few actors from the first season also turn up in the second season playing completely unrelated characters (unrelated to their previous role that is). And other actors that were in the first series but side-stepped the second series turn up in the third. You get the picture. It is such a brilliant showcase for the versatility and talent of the actors – and just the right shade of spooky, perfectly suitable to the eerie series – body snatchers anyone. One constant that needs a mention is, without a doubt, Jessica Lange. The talented actress makes any role she takes on her own and our emotions soar and plummet even through the series as the plotline twists and turns – much less as we cross through different stories of the anthology together.

Speaking of the storyline I really need to say, I think anthologies may well be the future of TV series. I mean, I have always felt that the major virtue of a good series is to know when to stop. I mean sure, we moan and cry when our favourite TV series finishes, we may empathise with this character or have a crush on this actor – actress… But admit it, there is a sense of disappointment there when you realise that the writers are literally scraping the bottom of the barrel just to keep the series going, because hey, the ratings aren’t that bad so you know, let’s keep milking it. I’ve walked away from a number of TV series for this self-same reason, it doesn’t “hook” me if they’re doing stuff just for the sake of doing stuff (I’m thinking particularly of True Blood here – I was told the series did improve but once I lose interest I rarely go back). I mean, the series I reviewed last week, Black Mirror, is basically united by theme alone – but Charlie Brooker’s very original personal mark in each and every story helps one make a very clear link.

But of course one thing is absolutely certain. As fascinating cinematically the casting and the whole “anthology” type storylines are; you will not enjoy this one unless if you are a big fan of the horror genre. But conversely, if you are a fan of the horror genre you’d be a fool to miss it. Series one played host to simply one of the most terrifying haunted houses I have ever come across (and believe you me I have come across some GOOD haunted houses in my day) – to the point that a few episodes in I was jumping at creaks and squeaks in the house (I live with three other adults and two cats so there were plenty of creaks to jump at, I’ll tell you that for nothing). The second series, looking back, seems very improbably when you describe it on paper. I mean, there seems to be waaaay too much going on. An asylum is a fertile ground for potentially all manner of horror story weirdness ranging from alien abductions to possession – it seems a bit risky to stick ‘em all into the same story and then throw in a few more curveballs besides… And yet, they do, and somehow it works. They even throw in a few actual old fashioned medical practices for good measure and it STILL works.

So if you want a chill or three down your spines you guys – definitely take a gander at American Horror Story you guys! As a horror fan my only regret was not having started before – check it out! J  

ESSIE SPEAKS OF AN ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS

Oh don't get me wrong, Christmas in my family (all the branches, all around the world) is pretty much as traditional as they come. Family get-togethers, food , drink and leftovers on Boxing day...  
But with a proliferation of "Christmas Movie" lists around the net, I reckoned you could do with an alternative Christmas tale or two.

And it really doesn't get more alternative than Charlie Brooker. Scroll down, you'll see what I mean.

In the meanwhile, have a very merry little Christmas you guys!
Sedef