In a blog post last year I mentioned that I'd the read the book Still Alice and something of the impact it had had on me. So it was a given that I'd want to see the movie adaptation, if only out of curiosity to see how the story would be handled. In general I find 'the film of the book' is often a second best form of entertainment, yet will maybe add some extra visual factor that would be hard to realise on paper. But there was some reassurance from learning that the eponymous central role would be played by the great Julianne Moore.
Alice Howland is a highly regarded professor of linguistics who finds herself becoming more and more forgetful and is then diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. The story charts the progress of the disease and its effects on the lives of Alice and the members of her close family.
Much of the book explores Alice's mental cognitive deterioration through her own internal monologues. Thankfully the director chose to reject the easy option of using voiceovers to replicate this. So the onus for conveying how Alice sees the world rests almost entirely on Moore's acting skills. Nobody should be quibbling over her Best Actress Oscar for the performance. Her facial expressions, intonation and body language give us the fear, anger, frustration, confusion and, most critically, loss of self that the condition brings with it. And the humour, for there are several moments when it's impossible not to laugh at the conflicts of understanding that arise, or the self awareness of the faux pas committed. If I had one criticism it would be that in delivering her speech to the Alzheimer's Association she seemed almost too fluent, too able to speak without constantly looking down at her text. But that did nothing to dim the emotion of the scene. Moore has great support on screen, with Alec Baldwin superb as the husband who has own range of emotions and reactions to deal with, watching the person he loves and knows so well losing their own sense of themselves.
Spoiler alert for this paragraph. In my memory there were two passages from the book that have always remained with me. One was right at the end when Alice describes her husband as "the man who owned the house", a line that,sadly, had to be left out of the film script. The other was the pivotal moment when Alice finds a message from herself, recorded when she was still in reasonable control of her memories, giving her instructions on how to take an overdose. A simple scene in the novel was ramped up into a stronger visual episode on screen and was the better for it.
Moore reminds us that no matter whatever happens to her character's internal world she remains still Alice. Highly recommended.
Thursday, 19 March 2015
Sunday, 15 March 2015
The Poozies, Voodoo Rooms
I've never bothered to watch BBC's The Voice, probably never will. Talent shows just don't do it for me. But I kind of followed the competition last year, mostly through my Twitter timeline, because there was a contestant who, to me a least, was already far more famous than any of the judges. (OK, maybe not Tom Jones, but the other lot.) Sally Barker was a new name, I'd guess, to a lot of TV viewers, but definitely not in the folk world.
As a founding member of The Poozies she has been part of the best all woman folk group in Britain for most of the last twenty odd years (she had a break from membership for a few years). No, scrub that, I'm underselling them. The Poozies have been one of the greatest folk bands in Britain for a quarter of a century. And tonight's performance did nothing to damage that reputation.
Whilst Barker's powerful, bluesy voice is a key element of the Poozies' vocal sound, she is backed up the others taking turns on lead vocals, and all four providing a stirring mix of harmonies, descants and, you know, other twiddly bits.
Musically most of the melodic workload is shared between Eilidh Shaw's fiddle and Mairearad Green's piano accordion, with much subtle interplay between the two. Sally B provides some rocking guitar rhythms and a steady beat to underpin the fancy stuff. But the key to the Poozies sound is Mary Macmaster on electro harp, which is an admirable substitute for a bass and also provides melodies, harmonies and, you know, twiddly bits.
The set mixed old and new material, songs and instrumentals, with old tunes given modern arrangements and new compositions made to seem timeless. Plenty of foot tapping stuff and a few chorus songs to get the audience involved (including actions on one number....). There are songs in gaelic, more in English and at least one, Small Things in the Cupboards, which provoked a few grins. As did the band's intros, with all four taking the lead in talking to us out there, and all four proving amusing company, especially Eilidh. The occasional mistake just provided further excuses for laughter, as did Ms Barker's talking handbag (you had to be there).
The gig ended with their fabulous a capella rendition of Pete Morton's moving anthem to hope, Another Train. Which you can listen to here. Enjoy.
After a couple more dates in Scotland the band are touring England for the rest of this month. Well worth a night out.
As a founding member of The Poozies she has been part of the best all woman folk group in Britain for most of the last twenty odd years (she had a break from membership for a few years). No, scrub that, I'm underselling them. The Poozies have been one of the greatest folk bands in Britain for a quarter of a century. And tonight's performance did nothing to damage that reputation.
Whilst Barker's powerful, bluesy voice is a key element of the Poozies' vocal sound, she is backed up the others taking turns on lead vocals, and all four providing a stirring mix of harmonies, descants and, you know, other twiddly bits.
Musically most of the melodic workload is shared between Eilidh Shaw's fiddle and Mairearad Green's piano accordion, with much subtle interplay between the two. Sally B provides some rocking guitar rhythms and a steady beat to underpin the fancy stuff. But the key to the Poozies sound is Mary Macmaster on electro harp, which is an admirable substitute for a bass and also provides melodies, harmonies and, you know, twiddly bits.
The set mixed old and new material, songs and instrumentals, with old tunes given modern arrangements and new compositions made to seem timeless. Plenty of foot tapping stuff and a few chorus songs to get the audience involved (including actions on one number....). There are songs in gaelic, more in English and at least one, Small Things in the Cupboards, which provoked a few grins. As did the band's intros, with all four taking the lead in talking to us out there, and all four proving amusing company, especially Eilidh. The occasional mistake just provided further excuses for laughter, as did Ms Barker's talking handbag (you had to be there).
The gig ended with their fabulous a capella rendition of Pete Morton's moving anthem to hope, Another Train. Which you can listen to here. Enjoy.
After a couple more dates in Scotland the band are touring England for the rest of this month. Well worth a night out.
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Match Impressions - Edinburgh Capitals SNL vs Paisley Pirates
A drama with enough twists and turns in the plot to keep the crowd guessing. This time we were watching the 'wee' Caps side. They play in the Scottish National League in which imported players are banned, the speed of the game is that bit slower, and the standard of the teams varies greatly. Earlier in the season I watched them complete an 18-0 demolition job on one of the lower ranked teams, but that was never likely to be repeated tonight. Following a defeat by Kirkcaldy the SNL Caps team needed to win their remaining three league matches if they were to be sure of retaining the title they won last year. And Paisley, just one place behind them in the table, would be the toughest of the trio.
It certainly looked that way from the start, the west coast side having the best of the opening minutes. Edinburgh got back into the match and created chances aplenty, but without the necessary finishing touch. Instead it was Pirates who took the lead, and added a second before the twenty minutes were up. But I've seen this squad making comebacks before and plenty time remained. It was a bit more worrying when Paisley scored again early in the second, but then Caps started to find their form and scored two within a minute. Paisley took the lead back out to two, but the best goal of the night reduced it to one, and when the equaliser came it was comedy gold. A harmless Caps shot looked to be well wide of the target until a Pirates defenceman stuck out his boot and deflected the puck into his own net. This script writer has class. Caps ended the period with a late goal to take the lead for the first time.
One more early in the third looked to have the match under control and it seemed that that would be that. Paisley disagreed and came back strongly enough to equalise half way through the period. The final ten minutes swung back and forth. Paisley dominated for a while and were unlucky with a shot that pinged off the pipes. With just over three minutes left on the clock a penalty against Caps reduced them to four men and survival tactics, with the positions being reversed for the final fifty nine seconds. Edinburgh came close, but there were no more goals and a draw seemed like a fair result. Even if it may have ended those title hopes.
It certainly looked that way from the start, the west coast side having the best of the opening minutes. Edinburgh got back into the match and created chances aplenty, but without the necessary finishing touch. Instead it was Pirates who took the lead, and added a second before the twenty minutes were up. But I've seen this squad making comebacks before and plenty time remained. It was a bit more worrying when Paisley scored again early in the second, but then Caps started to find their form and scored two within a minute. Paisley took the lead back out to two, but the best goal of the night reduced it to one, and when the equaliser came it was comedy gold. A harmless Caps shot looked to be well wide of the target until a Pirates defenceman stuck out his boot and deflected the puck into his own net. This script writer has class. Caps ended the period with a late goal to take the lead for the first time.
One more early in the third looked to have the match under control and it seemed that that would be that. Paisley disagreed and came back strongly enough to equalise half way through the period. The final ten minutes swung back and forth. Paisley dominated for a while and were unlucky with a shot that pinged off the pipes. With just over three minutes left on the clock a penalty against Caps reduced them to four men and survival tactics, with the positions being reversed for the final fifty nine seconds. Edinburgh came close, but there were no more goals and a draw seemed like a fair result. Even if it may have ended those title hopes.
Saturday, 7 March 2015
Brigid Kaelin and Diana de Cabarrus
Off once more to a House gig, and two singer-songwriters on tour together. Kaelin is from Kentucky, de Cabarrus is based in Edinburgh but has English origins. The American played guitar, ukulele, piano and piano accordion. Oh, and one more instrument I'll come to later. Diana played guitar and bohdran. A cellist completed the line up.
It would hard to come to come up with a single word description of the style of music. We got ballads, country, jazz, a Jacques Brel number and one lengthy piece from Ms de Cabarrus which veered close to 70s prog rock, if you can imagine such a thing being delivered from acoustic guitar and cello. Both women have pleasant and melodious voices, if lacking any great distinctive qualities, and write interesting lyrics (with the American's humour shining through). Overall I preferred the tone of the British singer, and her arrangements were generally the more imaginative. Brigid was at her best on the piano delivering some of her jazzier numbers. Meanwhile the cellist added colour and depth, but gave a curiously unsmiling performance, almost as if she was on autopilot.
It was a fun evening, made more so by that extra instrument I mentioned above. Kaelin provided the highlights of the night playing instrumental versions of Yesterday, Somewhere Over the Rainbow and, as her finale, Loch Lomond on a 26" saw. Worth the money for that alone. We left smiling, singing and happy. What more can you ask for?
It would hard to come to come up with a single word description of the style of music. We got ballads, country, jazz, a Jacques Brel number and one lengthy piece from Ms de Cabarrus which veered close to 70s prog rock, if you can imagine such a thing being delivered from acoustic guitar and cello. Both women have pleasant and melodious voices, if lacking any great distinctive qualities, and write interesting lyrics (with the American's humour shining through). Overall I preferred the tone of the British singer, and her arrangements were generally the more imaginative. Brigid was at her best on the piano delivering some of her jazzier numbers. Meanwhile the cellist added colour and depth, but gave a curiously unsmiling performance, almost as if she was on autopilot.
It was a fun evening, made more so by that extra instrument I mentioned above. Kaelin provided the highlights of the night playing instrumental versions of Yesterday, Somewhere Over the Rainbow and, as her finale, Loch Lomond on a 26" saw. Worth the money for that alone. We left smiling, singing and happy. What more can you ask for?
Thursday, 5 March 2015
Selma
SELMA - A REVIEW
I'm old enough to remember hearing the news of Martin Luther King's murder. Whilst I was too young to fully understand the implications, it was clear from the coverage that this was a major historical event and an evil and regressive act. I learned more about the man in later years, but watching this movie made me realise how little I still know. Selma is a work of fiction and needs to be viewed as such, but one that deals with a hugely important real world figure and contains the essentials of truth.
The film deals with events in and around the town of Selma, Alabama in 1965, when civil rights marchers were brutally beaten by police and other government agencies, and a subsequent, much larger, march which took place without violence, the authorities giving way this time. It was one big step along the road to improving black rights in America and a highlight in the long campaign of non-violence King advocated. With such dramatic events at it's heart it would be difficult not to tell a compelling story, and that's what we get here.
Biographical portrayals of genuine heroes always run the risk of hagiography, and the film does little to demonstrate King's flaws. The man was no saint, and his notorious womanising is only tangentially mentioned, while there is no sign of his alleged misogyny. Does that make this a bad film? Of course not. There's only so much can be shown in two hours and, whatever his faults, this man was a true great.
In the central role David Oyelowo is commanding, majoring on showing us just what an incredible orator King was, and the depth of his personal bravery. But there there were three other actors particularly caught my eye. Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King made us spare a thought for the emotional turmoil of the woman left to hold together a family life that was constantly subjected to threats of death or violence. Tom Wilkinson was impressive as LBJ, the politician torn between his beliefs, pragmatism, and the need to retain his own support. (Although the portrayed relationship between King and Johnson has been the most heavily criticised element of the film for historical inaccuracy.) And Tim Roth gives a performance of smiling evil as the racist Governor George Wallace (a Democrat, which shows how times change).
Overall the film works well as a powerful emotional drama, a historical reminder, and a call to arms in the face of continuing bigotry. There are some good scenes illustrating the kind of internal conflicts that so often afflict and hinder progressive political movements. And it was a personal pleasure to be reminded of Andy Young, a man I had once hoped might go on to be the first black US President. It's one of those films you feel a better person for having seen, but whilst being entertained in the process.
As I watched I couldn't help wondering if a certain MEP, who is extremely well paid from our taxes, will have troubled herself to see Selma. The one who referred to one of her constituents as a 'ting-tong'. I really don't feel like naming her or her vile party, for they already get way more publicity than is their due, but you'll know who I mean. Is that really the kind of person who should be representing us? Have we learned nothing from the Dr King's in our midst? I know that I could never be friends with anyone who judged a person because of the colour of their skin.
I'm old enough to remember hearing the news of Martin Luther King's murder. Whilst I was too young to fully understand the implications, it was clear from the coverage that this was a major historical event and an evil and regressive act. I learned more about the man in later years, but watching this movie made me realise how little I still know. Selma is a work of fiction and needs to be viewed as such, but one that deals with a hugely important real world figure and contains the essentials of truth.
The film deals with events in and around the town of Selma, Alabama in 1965, when civil rights marchers were brutally beaten by police and other government agencies, and a subsequent, much larger, march which took place without violence, the authorities giving way this time. It was one big step along the road to improving black rights in America and a highlight in the long campaign of non-violence King advocated. With such dramatic events at it's heart it would be difficult not to tell a compelling story, and that's what we get here.
Biographical portrayals of genuine heroes always run the risk of hagiography, and the film does little to demonstrate King's flaws. The man was no saint, and his notorious womanising is only tangentially mentioned, while there is no sign of his alleged misogyny. Does that make this a bad film? Of course not. There's only so much can be shown in two hours and, whatever his faults, this man was a true great.
In the central role David Oyelowo is commanding, majoring on showing us just what an incredible orator King was, and the depth of his personal bravery. But there there were three other actors particularly caught my eye. Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King made us spare a thought for the emotional turmoil of the woman left to hold together a family life that was constantly subjected to threats of death or violence. Tom Wilkinson was impressive as LBJ, the politician torn between his beliefs, pragmatism, and the need to retain his own support. (Although the portrayed relationship between King and Johnson has been the most heavily criticised element of the film for historical inaccuracy.) And Tim Roth gives a performance of smiling evil as the racist Governor George Wallace (a Democrat, which shows how times change).
Overall the film works well as a powerful emotional drama, a historical reminder, and a call to arms in the face of continuing bigotry. There are some good scenes illustrating the kind of internal conflicts that so often afflict and hinder progressive political movements. And it was a personal pleasure to be reminded of Andy Young, a man I had once hoped might go on to be the first black US President. It's one of those films you feel a better person for having seen, but whilst being entertained in the process.
As I watched I couldn't help wondering if a certain MEP, who is extremely well paid from our taxes, will have troubled herself to see Selma. The one who referred to one of her constituents as a 'ting-tong'. I really don't feel like naming her or her vile party, for they already get way more publicity than is their due, but you'll know who I mean. Is that really the kind of person who should be representing us? Have we learned nothing from the Dr King's in our midst? I know that I could never be friends with anyone who judged a person because of the colour of their skin.
Tuesday, 3 March 2015
Caucasian Chalk Circle, Lyceum
Didactic, dialectical, dull. Common reactions on telling someone you're going to see a Brecht play. Common misapprehensions too. Look beyond the German Marxist tag and you find someone whose lasting fame isn't down to propaganda and entirely due to writing works that are pioneering, entertaining and simply great theatre. In truth we were attracted to this production because a friend was appearing on stage. But the rewards were far greater than simply seeing a familiar face doing her stuff.
How appropriate that we should see this performance on the day that Nicola Sturgeon was putting an attack on inequality at the heart of her government's policies. To quote the play's director, Mark Thomson, "it challenges the immoral and unethical assumptions of today's abhorrent inequality and the rotten, flawed ideals that ensure the continuing shame of a society that allows wealth and power to belong to the few". Which it delivers by way of a parable, a play within a play, a morality tale with clear views of good and bad.
Which some might think sounds like heavy going for an audience, and some would be entirely wrong. The stage is vast open area, the cast make themselves visible and engaged before the play begins, and sets up a scenario in which the boundary between us and them is often blurred. There are songs (the narrator is actually called Singer), the cast bring musical instruments on and play them in character. They also do a lot of their own scene shifting, moving furniture and buckets and gallows and creating imagined spaces that move on the plot. There is a baby made out of cloth which is manipulated wonderfully to become a living being. And there are laughs. Lots of them. Almost everyone on stage has multiple roles and plenty of cross dressing adds to the underlying humour. This never feels remotely like a lecture, this is pure entertainment, with the added bonus of a powerful and contemporary message. Barbara reckoned this was the best play she'd seen in years. She might be right.
Oh, and our friend was pretty good too.
The Caucasian Chalk Circle runs until 14 March.
How appropriate that we should see this performance on the day that Nicola Sturgeon was putting an attack on inequality at the heart of her government's policies. To quote the play's director, Mark Thomson, "it challenges the immoral and unethical assumptions of today's abhorrent inequality and the rotten, flawed ideals that ensure the continuing shame of a society that allows wealth and power to belong to the few". Which it delivers by way of a parable, a play within a play, a morality tale with clear views of good and bad.
Which some might think sounds like heavy going for an audience, and some would be entirely wrong. The stage is vast open area, the cast make themselves visible and engaged before the play begins, and sets up a scenario in which the boundary between us and them is often blurred. There are songs (the narrator is actually called Singer), the cast bring musical instruments on and play them in character. They also do a lot of their own scene shifting, moving furniture and buckets and gallows and creating imagined spaces that move on the plot. There is a baby made out of cloth which is manipulated wonderfully to become a living being. And there are laughs. Lots of them. Almost everyone on stage has multiple roles and plenty of cross dressing adds to the underlying humour. This never feels remotely like a lecture, this is pure entertainment, with the added bonus of a powerful and contemporary message. Barbara reckoned this was the best play she'd seen in years. She might be right.
Oh, and our friend was pretty good too.
The Caucasian Chalk Circle runs until 14 March.
Sunday, 1 March 2015
Match Impressions - Edinburgh Capitals vs Nottingham Panthers
Edinburgh, the Jekyll and Hyde city. Stevenson would have loved this season's Caps team because you're never quite sure which one will turn up. Or even if they'll undergo a personality shift during a match. No wonder we compare being a Capitals fan to riding the rollercoaster.
If you don't know anything about British ice hockey then maybe a bit of context will help. Edinburgh are one of ten teams in the EIHL, the top level UK hockey league. Since mid season there has been a clear split between the top five teams, who have been battling for the title, and the rest. Surprise, surprise, that 'rest' is mostly the teams who don't have the income that those at the top enjoy. But they still have something to play for. At the end of the season the top eight teams go into the playoffs, and qualifying for that is a big achievement for a team like the Capitals.
At present they lie ninth, in a tight battle with the three clubs ahead of them, but well clear of Dundee at the bottom. To qualify they really need to be beating others in that 'rest' group, and sneaking what points they can in games against top teams. Last weekend they did just that, winning in Belfast (top team) for the first time in years, and then taking the points against Hull (rest) at home. And this weekend?
It's that split personality, although, to be fair, having a number of players on the injury list hasn't helped. On Saturday they lost heavily to another of the 'rest' teams, Fife. Could they make amends at home against one of the big money sides, Nottingham?
It never really looked very likely. They did well to hold the Panthers to just a single goal in the first period, but things went out of control in the second and the English team had us 4-1 down and with seemingly little hope left. And then there was that personality change again, and in the final twenty minutes it was a different team that showed up. They showed far more fire and imagination and outscored Nottingham by two goals to one. For a final score of 3-5, and a pointless weekend. It's puzzling to watch a team you know can play much better look so much at sea. Maybe they need Jekyll's potion?
If you don't know anything about British ice hockey then maybe a bit of context will help. Edinburgh are one of ten teams in the EIHL, the top level UK hockey league. Since mid season there has been a clear split between the top five teams, who have been battling for the title, and the rest. Surprise, surprise, that 'rest' is mostly the teams who don't have the income that those at the top enjoy. But they still have something to play for. At the end of the season the top eight teams go into the playoffs, and qualifying for that is a big achievement for a team like the Capitals.
At present they lie ninth, in a tight battle with the three clubs ahead of them, but well clear of Dundee at the bottom. To qualify they really need to be beating others in that 'rest' group, and sneaking what points they can in games against top teams. Last weekend they did just that, winning in Belfast (top team) for the first time in years, and then taking the points against Hull (rest) at home. And this weekend?
It's that split personality, although, to be fair, having a number of players on the injury list hasn't helped. On Saturday they lost heavily to another of the 'rest' teams, Fife. Could they make amends at home against one of the big money sides, Nottingham?
It never really looked very likely. They did well to hold the Panthers to just a single goal in the first period, but things went out of control in the second and the English team had us 4-1 down and with seemingly little hope left. And then there was that personality change again, and in the final twenty minutes it was a different team that showed up. They showed far more fire and imagination and outscored Nottingham by two goals to one. For a final score of 3-5, and a pointless weekend. It's puzzling to watch a team you know can play much better look so much at sea. Maybe they need Jekyll's potion?
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