March 23 Round Up

Willow trees, or saileach as gaelige, during some early March snow.

March has felt like a long month. It began with snow and I had to tackle a bout of illness that I’m still not over. But there were lots of books/movies/albums to be consumed, so silver linings and all that.

Books

I finished a lot of books in March, seven in fact. I set aside more time for reading after finishing one of those titles ‘Stolen Focus’ which encouraged me to make better use of my time. I cut out a lot of endless time surfing on the net, though I have slipped into old habits since I got sick. I’m not being too hard on myself, because mindless internet wandering and crap tv was about all my frazzled brain could cope with this past week.

Fiction

Fiction was a mixture. Eco thriller ‘Birnam Wood’ was hugely enjoyable, whilst based-on-a-true-story historical fiction ‘My father’s house’ featured a compelling lead character in Father Hugh O’Flaherty outwitting the Gestapo. Dystopian sci-fi thriller ‘Camp Zero’ was something different, a bit grim at times but readable. And the last week of my illness has been taken up by the superb ‘Exiles’ by Jane Harper, which transported me to the lush wine country of South Australia. Not a snowflake in sight there.

Non-Fiction

Apart from the aforementioned ‘Stolen focus’ I read a couple of cracking non-fiction titles. After my morning meditation, and before I start the daily grind, I like to take ten minutes with a book and Cupán tae. This month’s choice was ‘I may be wrong’ by Björn Nattiko Lindblad, about his 17 years as a Buddhist forest monk and his acclimatisation to modern living. There’s something about the early morning light, the birdsong and the fact that my brain hasn’t been crowded out by the days incoming pressures, that allows me to appreciate books like this. I can linger over a sentence or a paragraph and slowly let it’s meaning wash over me. It’s my favourite time to read, even just those couple of pages.

The other book was the heartbreaking ‘A heart that works’ by Rob Delaney, about the death of his infant son. Raw, unflinching and full of love, this was a life affirming piece of work.

Movies

I caught up on a number of movies this month that I've wanted to see for a while. Starting with….

First up is ‘Aftersun’ written and directed by Charlotte Wells and starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio (delivering an incredible performance as a 12 year old). It’s about a young girl, Sophie, who goes on holiday to Turkey with her father, about to turn 31 and amicably separated from her mother.

Each scene has a naturalness to it that I haven’t seen in any other film in a while. There are some beautiful, poignant moments as they try to connect with each other. But it’s what’s happening below the surface that really moved me.

Callum, Mescals character, is experiencing despair and anguish and is trying to hide it from his daughter. The film is set at the turn of the century, when mental health wasn’t something that was discussed openly. Oh, and ‘Under pressure’ by Queen and David Bowie has never been better used.

Rare for me, but I’m going to rewatch this tonight as there were some things I only realised when the film was over. Beautiful movie.

What’s better than enjoying one movie a month? Two, of course. Cate Blanchett is utterly magnetic in Todd Fields ‘Tár’ and how she didn’t get an Oscar in anyones guess (more about the oscars later). She is utterly mesmerising as a famous female conductor, paranoid and relentlessly demanding.

I’m not going to talk about the films ending, a lot of which has already been said. ‘Tár’ reminded me of Hankekes ’Cache’ from a few years back, with this sense of someone watching all the time, as Lydia Tar’s mental state fragments and disintegrates. How much of what we are seeing is from her own mind? Another film that requires attention and another viewing.

What’s this Adrian? You enjoyed a third movie this month? How can this be so, for someone who consistently forgets movies and automatically deletes them from his memory bank even as he’s watching them? I know, I was surprised too.

Maybe because this movie was such a different flavour from the two already mentioned, but I really enjoyed ‘The worst person in the World’ by Joachim Trier. It’s a Scandinavian Rom-com about a young woman, played by the beguiling Renate Reinsve as she navigates her twenties, with it’s difficult life choices.

It’s her love life that is the focus of the film. As she’s coming of age, she’s navigating relationships and that’s where the drama and comedy comes from. There’s one tremendous scene after a break-up that I found absolutely wonderful.

This is a sweet and funny movie with some really tender moments. I should also say that, if you have exhausted Netflix, both this movie and ‘Aftersun’ are available on ‘Mubi,’ a film subscription service with a lot of interesting alternative and foreign choices. Fillums, as we say in Ireland, that you have to give your attention to.

I mentioned the Oscars earlier. I generally don’t pay it too much attention but I had a look this year because there was a bit more of an Irish interest. Anyway, ‘Everything everywhere…’ cleaning up at the ceremony was hardly a surprise, but still. I watched half an hour of the movie, and maybe I was too tired to enjoy it, but it wasn’t for me - I’ll try again at a later date. But it seems that momentum and the story around the movie seems to be main driving force. The voters seem to be part of that story arc of a movie coming from nowhere to sweep all before it etc with the marketing machines and dubious voting processes in full flow. Oh look, Harrison Ford presenting the award to Ke Huy Quan, what a moment, you really couldn’t have scripted that - oh wait. That’s my tuppence worth.

Music

Just the one album this month for me, and that was ‘False Lankum’ by the mighty Lankum. It’s as intense as you’d expect, with a sonic palette that blends the light and the dark. There’s such a range here - my own favourite so far is ‘Newcastle’ sang by Radie, who for me is the finest folk singer of her generation. As always, I love the harmonies, honed over years of playing together, and the instrumentation - ominous concertina sounds, hammered dulcimers, pipes, hurdie-gurdies (just reading the back of the vinyl), - the instrumentals sound like the soundtrack to a film that hasn’t been made yet. A pretty scary and intense movie, it must be said.

Also great to hear Cormac making his singing debut on ‘Lord Abore and Mary Flynn’ and I’m sure I wasn't the only who had to check their record player on the final track. Great to see the plaudits and acclaim they’re receiving without compromising on the integrity that has taken them this far.

Each Lankum album differs from the previous one. They don’t keep repeating the same formula that worked on the previous album, always pushing in new directions without being experimental just for the sake of it. They take traditional standards and put their own unique stamp on them, as is the folk tradition.

I’ve enjoyed Lankum from the first song I heard (‘Cold old fire’) and they continue to develop musically, definitely one of the most interesting bands out there. I first saw them as ‘Lynched’ back in the Duncairn in North Belfast back in 2016. Sold out signs are everywhere now here in Ireland and the UK but don’t miss their discordant, drone laden sonic majesty if they pass your way. The song below gives me the shivers - it sounds like the backdrop to your worst nightmare.

Television

I really should be wrapping this up by now but I’m still confined to the couch and it’s raining outside so I’ll keep er lit. Anyway, having watched all of the movies above when I had a functioning brain, it was TV that kept me company when I slipped in and out of my ibruprofen, lemsip and cough medicine induced coma.

The US version of the office was something I put off for years - how could it compare to the English one? Well, it really doesn't, apart from a a few similar set pieces early on, but becomes something that's very much it’s own. It takes a few series to hit its stride but once it does it’s perfect company - super funny scripts, comical characters and great performances. I’ve a few more seasons to go and loving it - no surprises to anyone who has watched it of course.

A more recent show is ‘Pokerface’ with Natasha Lyonne (orange is the new black, Russian doll) playing Charlie Cale, a waitress in a vegas casino with one extraordinary ability - the ability to look at someone and know that they are telling lies - she’ll usually silently mouth ‘bullshit’ when she spots it.

For reasons that I won’t go into to avoid spoilers, Charlie goes on the run. Each episode has her landing in a different place, and it’s here that we, the viewer, see a crime being committed. In that respect, it’s very like one of my favourite tv shows of all time -Columbo - and we watch as Charlie tries to solve the crime, using her special bullshit detector.

It was only after I’d finished the series that I read that it was created by Rian Johnson - he of ‘Glass Onion’ and ‘Knives out’ fame, and he has a lot of fun with detective fiction tropes. Natasha Lyonnne plays a sort of ‘dude’ Jeff Bridges character, ramshackle and generally a bit of a mess. She’s incredibly engaging in this role, and I have to say I really enjoyed this. Lots of great actors in the supporting roles too - Nick Nolte, Adrian Borody and Luis Guzman to name a few. Hope it gets another series.

Phew. One of those months when I'm surprised by how much I did read/watch/listen to. With the promise of some spring weather ahead, maybe I’ll be out and about more. But I still have to pass the majority of time some way, so expect another one of these next month - if I can find anything worthwhile to write about. I could always write another post about the stuff I didn’t like.

I’ve been thinking about Bill Hicks recently, as I included one of his routines in another post. Until next month, and may you be happy, may you be well, may you be free from suffering.