Month: September 2016

Deceived in Friendship and Betrayed in Love (Love & Friendship review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

My first real exposure to effective satire came from reading Gulliver’s Travels in high school. In some ways I’m embarrassed to admit this now because I wonder what more I could have learned and accomplished had I been exposed to this type of writing from an earlier age. After all, it is something I value and can appreciate for it’s nuanced and artful nature.

And yet, I’ve made other mistakes by consciously avoiding other authors who are just as capable of striking at these tropes. See exhibit A, for example.

 

 

 

Love & Friendship (2016)

Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny, Xavier Samuel
Director: Whit Stillman
released on blu-ray September 6, 2016
********* 9/10

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IMDB: 6.9
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%, Audience Score 66%
The Guardian: ****/*****

John Whitney “Whit” Stillman is an American writer-director best known for his 1990 film Metropolitan (also his first film), but secondarily for his rather limited number of films released between 1990 and now. To be very clear, Stillman has only directed a total of five films altogether, however each of them have been rather favourable with critics and audiences alike.

Some would argue that The Last Days of Disco was his weakest film, but at 72% on Rotten Tomatoes and lead by Kate Beckinsale and Chloë Sevigny, I suspect that those people don’t know what they’re talking about.

Let’s consider Love & Friendship. A film rather clever in it’s machinations and based on two separate Jane Austen novels.

It tells the story of recently widowed and rather young Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale) as she looks for both a match for her daughter Frederica (Morfydd Clark) and also for herself, that she might bolster her own status and fortunes. Lady Susan was staying at the Manwaring estate for some time before she was finally turned out, under assumptions that her and Lord Manwaring (Lochlann O’Mearáin) were having an affair.

So Lady Susan moves into Churchill and stays with her brother-in-law, Charles Vernon (Justin Edwards), and his wife Catherine (Emma Greenwell). Catherine’s brother Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel) is also there, and eventually Frederica is turned out of boarding school because Susan can’t afford it, so she joins the family too.

This is where we witness Lady Susan bend societal expectations and twist words so that she can always gain the upper hand. When she is unable to convince her daughter to marry the dumb but wealthy Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett), and especially after her flirtations with Reginald turn sour upon his discovery of her relations with Lord Manwaring despite Lady Susan and her best friend Alicia Johnson’s (Chloë Sevigny) efforts to conceal the matter. Instead, Lady Susan convinces Martin to marry her, and conveniently enough Reginald and Frederica marry on their own terms.

The movie hits a high and final important note upon the announcement not two days after the wedding of Martin and Lady Susan. Lady Susan is with child, and Sir James couldn’t be happier. Interestingly enough, Lady Susan had previously invited Lord Manwaring to be a house guest at her new home with Sir James, and Sir James is happy to have a new friend who enjoys hunting all kinds of game.

Pros: The language of the time is handled by Stillman in the best way possible, Kate Beckinsale holds court in whatever scene she is in, and all of the secondary characters fill their roles in expertly timed scenes.

Cons: I fear that the intelligence of the film and all of it’s nuances might be missed by the more casual observer, making it appear boring, when in fact the dialogue and pacing are incredibly important to the overall plot.

Runtime: 1 hour 32 minutes

Points of Interest: This is the first time the novella Lady Susan has made it to the silver screen, with the name taken from the other referenced Austen book. Sienna Miller was originally cast as the role of Lady Susan but she dropped out.

I’ll be the first to admit that it took me years to warm up to Jane Austen as an author. I was never really interested in the stories because of their focus on social politics and economics of the time, but the truth is that those are just elements of the story, the real value lies in the characterizations, and when a director like Stillman can understand that point, the work of Jane Austen can reach pop culture snobs like moi.

 

 

 

Satire can be a wonderful thing friends, it can take a story entrenched in adultery, manipulation, and betrayal, and turn it into something that you can share with children. Love & Friendship never exposes the gratuitousness so common in our westernized culture, but yet it tells a story so much better. I was a little concerned when I first picked this film up, but thankfully I was wrong about it. And you will be too.

This film is wonderfully done, and exemplifies the power of Jane Austen as a writer, and really showcases her necessity in the halls of writing. Go watch this movie. And then come back tomorrow when I’ll talk some more of love.

Tim!

Shut Up, Kiss Me, Hold Me Tight (Angel Olsen, My Woman review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Ever read Peter Pan dear readers? Or watch one of the many animated and live action movies that exist? Well, there is this idea out there that Peter Pan didn’t want to grow up and so he stayed in a state of perpetual childhood.

Now, in the media it’s become rather common to refer to those who engage in youthful behaviour without wanting to or feeling unable to grow up as having Peter Pan syndrome. It’s not considered as a psychological condition, but there is definitely a movement.

But what about people who oppose the normative behaviour and also experience that full range of emotions, are they still called adults?

 

 

 

Angel Olsen – My Woman
released September 2, 2016
********** 10/10

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Angel Olsen is an American folk and indie rock singer and guitarist. She also manages to channel some punk, western country and psychadelic rock when needed – Olsen is incredibly sorrowful, uncut, raw, and mindful. And from what I’ve heard it only took her 3 full-length albums to get there. *cough* Anthony Fantano *cough*

This is what grunge should have sounded like if it had some ska in it. Eat your heart out Nirvana and No Doubt. Or to put it another way, and ironically it breaks my heart to say this, this is a much stronger version of anything that Leslie Feist has ever put out. And I love me some Feist. Like, I can’t even – you have no idea what Leslie Feist did to my dumb little punk rock heart in 2005. Go listen to Let It Die, Open Season, and The Reminder after listening to this and tell me I’m not right. I dare you. It’s not gonna kill you.

Which incidentally is my favourite track on this little piece of album gold. I mean she even has a song called Heart Shaped Face, that just has to be a send up to Nirvana. It just has to.

Olsen does something special on every single track. She uses the best instrument she has, her voice, and arranges the melody accordingly to carry the weight of each message. The first half of the record starts out as woefully naive and volatile with its themes of love, but the back half puts itself it the shoes of one who has loved and lost, dealing with regret and that bitter disenchantment that dulls the edge of each love ventured.

The thing about excellent country music is that it doesn’t have to be about dead dogs, broken trucks or marriages ruined. It has to be authentic to the artist it represents, paying homage to what came before, but also owning the moment of what is. If I had to pick a track to represent the back half it would probably be Sister an epic of growing up and growing apart and rather well put by Olsen herself – you fall together, fall apart. A close second would have to be slow burner Pops, which if you haven’t fallen in love with Angel Olsen after listening to nine songs, I don’t know what to tell you.

This is an album of many tones, and I know it might come off cliche but she is in rare form and easily becomes my woman.

 

 

 

I would never accuse Angel Olsen of being a victim of Peter Pan syndrome, especially because it’s almost exclusively associated with men. But nonetheless, the question of love, lust, and loss are intertwined throughout this musical endeavour. What starts out as a youthful and naive look at love slowly turns into something much darker and more intimate and My Woman is seriously my favourite album of the year as a result. We’ll have to see what’s in store for the rest of the year, but with less than four months to go, you’ll want to snag a copy of this, lest you get left all alone.

Tim!

 

Checks And Balances (Ryan Andrade interview)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

After some much needed time away from the lab these past two days, I’ve had something of a breakthrough. I realized that not every solution calls for immediate action, dear readers. Sometimes an opportunity will present itself at the last moment, and allow you to regain balance taking you towards the direction you should be headed. Want an example?

Okay. For instance, dating is hard.

It truly does take a lot of time, effort, and energy to go out and meet new people. And if you put all of your willpower into your dating life, the rest of your life kinda falls by the way side. Which quite frankly won’t win you any points with romantic interests in the long run. Unless they too are running into life obstacles and are themselves overwhelmed. But living that way will lead into a whole host of different problems, and likely a messy finish. It’s better for you to have your own shit together (or are at the very least regularly working on your goals), and make some time to pursue romantic relationships. As things move along, you’ll find that the quality of dates you have improve because you can spot red flags in potential mates earlier in the courtship.

But what the heck does this have to do with timotheories or even artist interviews?

Good point dear readers. Well, a lot if I’m being perfectly honest. Creative professionals are not exempt from the challenge of maintaining balance in their lives. I might even argue that it’s more difficult for them to do this because there are less obvious resources available about how to start an art related business then there are for other commodities. Artists have to deal with intellectual property issues, and a considerable amount of ignorance on the value of their work.

Which is exactly what today’s interviewee strives to clear up. His uncanny ability to work his own interests into all facets of his life are a great example of what we should all be doing in order to find and maintain balance.

Ryan Andrade is a journeyman welder who loves the arts. He’s made the time to pursue a post-secondary education while earning a trade and travelling in from Ft. Saskatchewan on an almost daily basis. His down-to-earth mentality of working and keeping things technical without getting hung up on explanations of his art or worrying about what it means, allow him to keep up with the work.

I think you too will enjoy what he has to say about the theme of balance and what he does to follow his own heartbeat. I’m gonna take a note from Ryan and stop right here. I’ll let the interview speak for itself.

And as always, if you want to check out more timotheories interviews or the Cross Talk series please visit our YouTube channel.  And please, please, please share this post and of course subscribe to both the blog and channel!

Now let’s get down to business – Ryan doesn’t have much in the way of social media at the moment. So please send an email to timotheories@outlook.com and I’ll get in contact with him for you.

Lastly my sincerest thanks to Ryan for being rad, real, and ready. See you tomorrow with an album review that’s features an angel and probably my favourite one of the year.

Tim!

It’s Business Time (timotheories September 2016)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

 

Do you ever find that you’re drawn to certain kinds of music, films, and foods when the weather starts to turn? And I’m not talking about commercially viable options, but the obscure memories you’ve cultivated because they remind you of specific feelings?

I may have already written about this idea once this month, but September is usually my personal time of reflection, and when I begin to sing my own redemption song.

For instance, if I find that I’m out of balance I’ll begin to pick up certain good habits that I dropped – Whether it’s reading more, practicing good sleep hygiene or even maintaining an exercise routine, September is that time when timotheories is all about pulling up bootstraps and getting down to business. It’s business time after all, especially because I’m gearing up for the Superbowl of retail.

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After all dear readers, this is the time of year when it starts to get cold, the hot beverages come out, and the covers go up to add an extra special layer of cloudlike warmth and comfort.

If you’re not sure what I’m eluding to, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered students. We’ve already had a post explaining why Alan Moore destroyed the superhero long before Hollywood got their hands on it, how art school changed my perspective on New Years, a preview of this month’s feature artist interview, and some other cool reviews. Oh and did I mention we summarized a summary on self-help books?

September is shaping up nicely. Time to give you an overview.

But we need to get the disclaimer out of the way, then we can dive right on in and go over the schedule.

*Disclaimer* As always, every week I purchase an album and movie one week ahead of the actual review release and while I have the best intentions, I don’t always get what I want… so if you follow me on instagram (@timotheories) you can actually see what’s coming.

timotheories summarized – September

Stimulating Sundays – (09/04) Ryan Andrade preview interview, (09/11) Ryan Andrade interview, (09/18) Cross Talk Ep. 9, (09/25) Megan Warkentin interview
Melodic Mondays – (09/05) Glass Animals, (09/12) Angel Olsen, (09/19) July Talk, (09/26) Beyonce
Theatrical Tuesdays – (09/06) The Jungle Book, (09/13) Love & Friendship, (09/20) Captain America: Civil War, (09/27) TMNT: Out Of The Shadows
Wisdom Wednesdays – (09/07) 1000 Self-Help Books Summarized, (09/14) Gary D. Chapman, (09/21) Exercise, (09/28) Brian Lee O’Malley
Timely Thursday – (09/01) Art School (Back to School), (09/08) timotheories September, (09/15) Harvest, (09/22) Nuit Blanche (Petite Nuit) (09/29) Artwork Update

The year of all killer, no filler continues friends! Nothing quite like laying it all on the line and getting right to the point. Without this strategy I wouldn’t be able to reinvigorate the weekly grind quite so easy.

Cross Talk continues to evolve of course. Now that we’ve got Singh on as a regular cast member, we’re going to begin the slow trek into a weekly format, but for now we’ll continue to release one episode a month. Episode 9 could be about death, personality, globalization or film snobs, you’ll just have to stay tuned in…

Surprise, surprise though, as I’ve decided to put together not one but TWO artist interviews for you folks this month. Ryan Andrade will be talking with me about balance, and then Megan Warkentin will get into exploration, which is why I wasn’t able to slot her in last month.

And of course I sound like a broken record, but I really do have something coming together for Just In Time Games, but we’re still not quite there yet.

And those are all of the theories I can come up with for now friends. Please leave some comments, to let us know what you want to see in coming months and subscribe to the blog too!

Tim!

Death From A Thousand Papercuts (Self-help Books)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Self-help guides are everywhere. You cannot move within 30 links on the internet without hitting one. On top of that, there are over 240,000 self-help books available for purchase on Amazon. And I’m sure that many of them are fantastic, well-reviewed and considered best sellers.

But the thing is, none of these books are really essential reading. Almost all of them have the same ideas to express to you. You can summarize most of these ideas pretty easily and rather quickly if I’m going to be frank with you, dear readers. I read this great article a couple of years back and decided to summarize it’s summary of this idea for you. So which is greater the summary of self-help books or the summary of the summary of self-help books?

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I guess you’ll find out pretty quick won’t you?

12 Lessons From Self-help Books

No martter what the topic, there are commonalities for all tips of self-help and this list of 12 points should do the trick in laying it all out for you, the ever efficient consumer of information.

  1. You are in control of your emotions and can change how you feel. No one else can do it for you.
  2. Mirror successful people. If you follow the habits of the leader, you will adopt them and transcend your current lifestyle.
  3. The law of attraction is real. You bring into your life what you spend your time thinking about. So think on good things OR use affirmations to get you there
  4. Be present and avoid thinking about the past or future. With presence you stop worry and avoid anxiety.
  5. Leave your comfort zone. You need to evolve and grow through discomfort.
  6. Procrastination is bad – Have goals and to-do lists, work on what matters to get what you want.
  7. Accountability for your actions. Own the things you can influence and work to enforce them when good OR change them when bad.
  8. Value your unique qualities. Never compare yourself to others, instead compare your past self to who you are now.
  9. Treat yourself. Have fun, enjoy things you care about. Life experience is important.
  10. Have gratitude. Life is full of problems, but you turn them into opportunities.
  11. Positive self-talk. I can do this. Tell yourself that every time you have doubt.
  12. Visualize what you want. Visualization is a commonly recommended technique with positive self-talk. It is becoming increasingly popular in therapy as psychologists use imagery to not only work through problems, but change behavior. The basic aim is to see in your mind what you want. Advanced visualization incorporates sight with taste, smell, touch, and sound of having achieved your goal.

Should You Read Self-help Books?

With all of that said, you’re probably wondering if you should even read self-help books now. Well friends, I’ll be the first to admit that as I get older, my memory doesn’t seem to be improving, and in some cases, like for instance if I don’t get enough sleep, I definitely don’t remember things that I should.

So you know what they say right? Well no, no you don’t.

Seriously? I just made that point above and you’ve already forgotten it?

The point is this, motivation is temporary but discipline helps us with ingraining new ideas into our being, if you follow a pattern for more then 30 days it begins to take root and turn into a habit, but 90 days its your primary mode of function.

Even once you know the summary of all of these great books, it doesn’t mean you have the practice down to a science. And let’s be honest, the reason why the knowledge is so frequently referenced is because it is pretty useful for anyone really. After all, just because you read a summary, it doesn’t mean you had a moment of enlightenment, sitting with an idea helps in that process. But that’s just a theory.

 

Tim!