We respond to beauty and love

Just now I am reading 'A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man' by James Joyce. This brilliant writer draws from his own experience of a Irish Catholic youth to portray various struggles within the protaganist Stephen Dedalus, who is searching for identity and meaning in his life. I'm at the point in which Stephen is at a crossroads in his life, the seductive lure of sin clashing with religious sentiment. A Jesuit priest preaches brimstone and fire, hammering into Stephen and his fellow students the reality of Hell and eternal damnation of his immortal soul. As an 'artist' Dedalus would probably be much more responsive to beauty, whether that be in the form of scripture or theology. There is so much beauty and so much ugliness in this world, living side by side like the wheat and chaff. The Jesuit priest describes the old school image of hell at great length and in vivid detail to his congregation of students. I am glad that I was not alive in that age or exposed to that style of theology. I would have lived my life in perpetual fear, afraid that I might fall into mortal sin at a moments notice. It is something which leads to a false piety, an unhealthy spirituality which has gradually eroded over the years, especially since the 2nd Vatican Council. The image of God as a loving and merciful Father has superceded the portrayal of God as a stern, vengeful Judge. Now, we are encouraged to speak the truth in a spirit of love. It is the priest's duty to attract people to God and the church with practical love and the eloquent translation of theology. The Young Artist is impressionable and at a crucial stage in his life. He will respond to beauty and love like a flower to sunshine and water. An analogy would be the unborn child and abortion. Some Pro-life groups use shock tactics, like showing photos of aborted babies, blood and guts. It's a horrific sight. Would it be better to show photos of the developing baby in the womb, something beautiful and sacred? Would that have more of an impact on society, especially with the constant advance of technology? In the meantime I will read on and discover the fate of Stephen Dedalus, which might also be the fate of Joyce himself.

Infamous

It's hard to watch Infamous without comparing it to the Oscar winning and nominated Capote of the previous year, but after a while I managed to switch my inner critic off and enjoy Infamous on its own merits. The plot is very similiar to Capote, dealing with his research and writing of the book 'In Cold Blood'. Two men, Perry Smith and Richard Hickcock, murder a family of four in Kansas and Truman Capote sees an opportunity of turning this tragedy into a best selling non-fiction novel. Aiding him in his research is Harper Lee, fresh from winning the Pulitzer Prize for 'To Kill A Mockingbird', and together they try to build up a picture of how a town copes with such brutal murders. Capote uses his charm and wit to ingratiate himself into the lives of this small Kansas town but, in terms of his book, he hits the jackpot when the two killers are caught and brought in. The relationship between Capote and the two killers, especially Perry Smith, becomes the central point of the film, both on both an emotional and psychological level. Does Capote really care for these two men or is he just using and manipulating them to get what he needs for his book? Probably a bit of both. Often a poignant scene between Capote and Perry Smith is followed by Capote relaying the information to his society friends back in New York as though it were a casual piece of gossip. The soundtrack is unusual. Often jaunty and upbeat, when out dining and partying with friends, then sombre and dark when is comes to the murders and the murderers. It's a nice juxtaposition and works well to make the dark darker and lightness of New York society seem frivolous and contrived. The cast is impressive, with Toby Jones, Daniel Craig, Sandra Bullock, Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Daniels all in excellent form. Jones and Craig in particular shine in their roles and the former can consider himself unlucky not to be at least nominated for an Oscar. I was dubious at first with Sandra Bullock being cast as Harper Lee but to her credit she gives a very measured performance. The direction, screenplay and cinematography are all very good, but again no Oscar nominations. It's a shame that Infamous should be overshadowed by the 2005 Capote, as it is both gripping and moving and offers a fascinating insight into a deeply complex and in some ways very troubled man. 8/10  

Best of 2012

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Here in this blog entry are the best of 2012.

Best films of 2012.

1. The Artist
2. The Angel's Share
3. The Dark Knight Rises
4. Skyfall
5. Killing Them Softly
6. Argo
7. The Grey
8. Ruby Sparks
9. The Hobbit
10. End Of Watch

Best DVD's (that I rented in 2012)

  

1. Brief Encounter
2. Drive
3. Midnight In Paris
4. Moneyball
5. The Descendants
6. The Help
7. Cristina Vicky Barcelona
8. The Quiet American
9. The Hunter
10. Winter's Bone

An honourable mention to the following TV series' that I really enjoyed:

Breaking Bad
Damages
The Killing (Danish version)
Lie To Me

Best Albums (that I borrowed from the library or bought in 2012)

1. Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan
2. Out Of Time by R.E.M.
3. Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea by PJ Harvey
4. The Haunted Man by Bat For Lashes
5. A Creature I Don't Know by Laura Marling
6. Off The Wall by Michael Jackson
7. I Speak Because I Can by Laura Marling
8. Abbey Road by The Beatles
9. Alas I Cannot Swim by Laura Marling
10. Rhythm and Repose by Glen Hansard

Best Books (that I read in 2012)

1. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
2. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
4. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
5. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
6. Pure by Andrew Miller
7. The Sense Of An Ending by Julian Barnes
8. Regeneration by Pat Barker
9. Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
10. If Nobody Speaks Of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor

Best Babes of 2012 (the list every woman wants to be on)

                                                Jennifer Lawrence

1. Berenice Bejo
2. Alex Jones
3. Jennifer Lawerence
4. Michelle Dockery
5. Alexa Chung
6. Jodhi May
7.Christina Ricci
8. Rooney Mara
9. Laura Marling
10. Carey Mulligan

                                                 Berenice Bejo
                                                   
On behalf of everybody here at Gilfedder Corporations.com I wish you a very blessed and fruitful 2013! May it be the best of times!

 

The Hobbit (film review)

13 Dwarfs, one wizard and one hobbit in search of adventure. All from the imagination of JRR Tolkien, adapted for the screen by Peter Jackson. When given the green light to go ahead with The Hobbit I'm guessing that Peter Jackson saw this project as something of an opportunity to redeem himself after the critical and commercial flop of his 2009 adaptation of The Lovely Bones. Personally I didn't think the film was that bad, but it was certainly far removed from the giddy heights of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. So does The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey live up to The Lord Of The Rings? Not quite but there is still a lot to admire and enjoy. The set and costume design is outstanding, and the CGI looks great. The cast boasts a rich array of talent, with Sir Ian McKellen leading the way as Gandalf the grey. Martin Freeman, who I had doubts about at first, fits into the role of Bilbo with great ease and assurance and I particularly liked Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the dwarfs. Biblo, Gandalf and Thorin take up most the two and a half hour screen time but the other dwarfs still manage to provide a rich and colourful tapestry. There are some nice touches of humour throughtout, mostly delivered by the dwarfs and Bilbo. Lots of nasty looking orcs, trolls and goblins trouble our brave protagonists but The Hobbit is not as dark or serious as The Lord Of The Rings. A hugely enjoyable romp through Middle-earth. 8/10

Be fruitful and multiply. Not according to Ashley Judd.

"It's unconscionable to breed, with the number of children who are starving to death in impoverished countries" - Ashley Judd, Actress

Speak for yourself Ashley. I don't really understand her twisted logic. To follow that path, denying ourselves everything that the poor don't have, will not bring any relief or improvement to their lives. Every person is entitled to a good standard of living, and equally every person has a God given right to breed. What is unconscionable is to breed and not provide a loving home for children. What is unconscionable is to spend extravagently and not give to charity. If Ashley Judd is so concerned about the poor, then maybe she could give up one of her two houses. To be fair she does a lot of humanitarian and charity work and should be applauded for this, but telling us not to breed for the sake of the world's poor is a step too far.

Band Of Horses

                                            Band Of Horses

Back to the O2 Academy, my least favorite music venue in Glasgow. I hustled my way to the bar at the back and decided to stay in that vicinity to see if the sound system was more pleasant to the ear there. Or maybe it was my Scottish homing instinct to stay close to the service of alcohol. But it did make a bit of a difference. I was up close and personal with Laura Marling earlier this year but with the support act tonight I think being 50 yards to the rear did something to the acoustics and they sounded pretty good. They were a decent support act, that's two in a row, but I was hampered by a couple in front of me. They would occassionally lean over to whisper sweet nothings into their lover's ear but block out my view of the stage in the process. Cute but annoying, so for the main act I moved to a different vantage point. I noticed an older couple, maybe in their mid-fifties, sitting to my right. Maybe they just wanted a night out and bought tickets for 'Band of Horses' thinking 'that's a nice name for a band, they will surely sing gentle songs of nature'. Band of Horses are in fact a five piece rock band from Charleston, South Carolina. Having watched their music videos on YouTube I think they should change their name from Band Of Horses to Band of Beards, as there is an impressive array of facial hair on display. My own feeble whiskers pail in comparison to the lead singers prophetic growth. Their sound is actually difficult to pin down: they could be indie rock, alternative rock with a hint of country, etc. But live in concert they just rock, plain and simple. Live in concert you really appreciate them as a rock band. They didn't play as many songs from their new album as I had expected and quite a few of their songs I didn't recognise, as I own only two of their four albums, but it didn't really matter. They played most of my favorites. The Funeral. Is Their A Ghost? The Great Salt Lake. No Ones's Gonna Love You. And they played them with aplomb, gusto and an admirable energy that came across really well despite the shortcomings of the sound system. Even the older couple sitting to my right were grinning from ear to ear. I hope I'm like them in 20 years time. Never too old to rock!

                                           Respect the beard.

Celtic 2-1 Barcelona. Greatest result since Lisbon?

In 1967, long before I was born, Celtic beat Inter Milan 2-1 in Lisbon to become the first British football team to win the European Cup. That victory will always remain the pinacle of Celtic's footballing achievements, nothing can equal it, but last night they did the unthinkable by beating Barcelona 2-1 at Celtic Park in front of a passionate and delirious home crowd. It was the greatest result since Lisbon because Barcelona are the best club side ever to have graced the beautiful game. Lead by their talisman Lionel Messi, they boast players that are exceptional in their passing, movement, footballing intelligence and control of the ball. Barcelona have devised a way of systematically taking teams apart by using the aforementioned skills in wave after wave of intense attack. I've never seen a team ruthlessly dominate games in such a way before. There is something cold and calculated about it, but beautiful and hypnotic at the same time. Pass, move, pass, move, until they find a way to goal. To give Celtic their due, they were great as well, but not in the same way that Barcelona were great. Under intense pressure for most of the game Celtic played with lion hearts, fierce determination and admirable discipline. Most importantly they took their chances in front of goal. Celtic have enjoyed some great results in the past. Beating Manchester United 1-0 at home with a Nakamura wondergoal was fantastic, but trumping Barcelona was so much sweeter because they are the best of the best. To hail this as the greatest result since Lisbon is to honour Barcelona just as much as Celtic.