birthday

Cake Day (Birthdays)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Today I decided to write a post about birthdays, and because we’re closing in on the end of my birthday month, its more than appropriate. You know what Lesley Gore used to say right? After all, what is the point of a birthday other than to celebrate the anniversary of your date of birth, also known as your birthdate – the date and time in which you were born.

How birthdays are celebrated vary from culture to culture, and even within certain cultures there are personal traditions to uphold. These celebrations usually involve gifts, parties, and rituals which serve to reinforce the celebration. Getting punched on the arm for every year you’ve been alive came to mind almost immediately for me. Which I hate.

On top of that, many religions celebrate the birth of their founders. Think Christmas and Buddha’s Birthday.

Another item to consider with birthdays is that they help us to establish milestones of life and all of the responsibilities that are conferred to us at those times. Some of them are good, some of them are dangerous, and others are up for debate, literally. For example, the age of consent, voting rights, emancipation, quitting secondary school, marriage, getting a drivers license, purchasing alcohol and tobacco and a host of other doozies. Also, when we reach our governments elected age of majority, minors assume all responsibilities over their lives, and parents/guardians no longer have legal charges to take care of them.

It’s fun stuff.

But let’s consider traditions of North America, because it’s where I live and what I grew up with, okay dear readers? As many of you know, we celebrate birthdays with a party of some scale, including presents for the birthday person, often bringing out a birthday cake/pie/treat at some point during the festivities and topping said cake with candles to signify the persons age. Then we blow out the candles and make a wish – we’re supposed to keep this secret because the wish won’t come true otherwise.

Yeah, I’m calling bullshit on that.

I just turned thirty-two, and I am not married, I do not have children nor a house in my name, I am not a successful author, painter, musician, public speaker, athlete or lecturer, and I am definitely not in the best shape of my life.

And that’s the problem with birthdays, they’re built upon dreams, deadlines, obligations, expectations, and wish fulfillment.

So this year I’m trying something different. A new set of theories and a new mindset – I’m celebrating my unbirthdays and my perpetual state of progress OR being progressive. This is the year of campfire stories, so watch closely, listen intently, and keep close to the warmth of the fire. I’m going to share some more birthday stories soon, and get you in the spirit of the present.

Bad pun, yes. But a better gift cannot be found anywhere.

Tim!

Meet the Family (Easter)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

I’ve written about Easter traditions before AND even included some perspective as it relates to the history of the arts… but today I decided to write about Easter as an influencer on life. My life in particular.  Because I was born in the spring and Easter is a movable holiday, sometimes it falls before my birthday, sometimes it falls after, and very rarely it happens on my actual birthday (read: two times) and I suspect won’t happen again in my lifetime.

This is because according to Catholic traditions, Easter follows the first full moon of the vernal equinox. A pattern unbroken.

Certain events are like that though. Even though they don’t happen on the same day of the week each year, they happen on the same calendar month or in some fashion which guides their timing on a yearly basis.

Secondhand Firsts

But not this weekend.

This Easter season I’m visiting my girlfriends family for the first time. Yay! I’m supposed to meet a lot of the family all at once, cousins, aunts and uncles, and close family friends. But not her immediate family.

You see dear readers, my girlfriend is a planner with a system for introducing partners to her family. She does this because she has a young son and doesn’t want to create too many waves for him in her personal life. Now, as for meeting the whole family. My girlfriend had an unconventional childhood, because for most of her childhood, her parents didn’t raise her. Shock. Gasp. Well at least not ever at the same time, and it was not them alone that did it.

Mysticque was also predominantly raised by her aunt for quite a few years. And so her aunt has served as a surrogate mother along with her aunt’s three children who affectionately become her younger brother and two younger sisters.

No big deal right? I’ve meet parents before, and I’m a fairly charming, clean cut guy who likes to bring flowers, give a big greeting, and make a great first impression. In fact, I think it’s because I’m so secure in my own identity that I can assure the men in the room of my good intentions, plus I dress sharply and get to know the family, which goes over well with the female family members.

But I’m nervous, because I love her. I want to get along with them and make sure she gets the approval, because I know in my heart of hearts I’m going to be with her. And that’s the first time I’ve written that down, and shared it with world.

Whew.

timotheories Summarized

I think this is a good time to meet her family. Because Easter is supposed to represent a time of Christ’s rebirth, the time of my own birth, and a time to begin again. Cause you know sins are forgiven if we accept Jesus as our Saviour. I’ll just say for now that I’m glad that I met Mysticque Moore. I love her, and no it’s not theoretical – she’s the muse of my life.

Tim!

Obsessive Planning (Miss Sloane review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

The fact that we have tests to confirm women are being properly represented in film is an astounding thing, and simultaneously a disheartening one. I think this one deserves a pass.

Miss Sloane (2016)

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, John Lithgow, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alison Pill, Mark Strong, Jake Lacy
Director: John Madden
released on blu-ray March 21, 2017
******* 7/10

IMDB: 7.2
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%, Audience Score 62%
The Guardian: ***/*****

Theatre and film director John Madden and I share the same birthday – April 8th. Not really relevant to this review, but a fun tidbit nonetheless.

He is probably best known for directing the Academy Award winning Best Picture film, Shakespeare in Love. After that would likely be The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. But I think special attention should be paid to Mrs. Brown, the story of the relationship between Queen Victoria and Scottish servant John Brown, and the vastly underrated Proof, which is a story about madness and genius.

It’s even better than A Beautiful Mind, in my humble opinion. As for Miss Sloane, this is simply another matter of obsession. The movie centres around lobbyist Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain), who is known for her cut throat tactics and visible paranoia.

Opening with Sloane at a hearing under allegations of bribery, Sloane is asked by her company lawyer to stick to a script, but she eventually reacts to a particularly triggering comment about self-medicating for insomnia, which comes at the end of particularly salty line of questioning from the congressmen Sperling (John Lithgow) at the head of the investigation.

We soon realize that this is a flash forward and we are taken back to the point which started the whole investigation –  the moment when her firm is approached to attract women to use guns for protection. Sloane is against this and taking a job from Rodolfo Schmidt (Mark Strong) at rival lobbying firm, Peterson Wyatt, which is lobbying for universal background checks bill. Sloane takes all of her loyal employees with her, save her favourite Jane (Alison Pill), who openly refuses.

We also learn that Sloane is relentless in her career, having never established a long-term relationship, she hires male escorts like Forde (Jake Lacey) for “company.”

At Peterson Wyatt, Sloane puts team senior Esme (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), at the head of media, after learning Esme was a closet victim of childhood trauma associating with a school shooting. Esme doesn’t want to be typified, but at a crucial moment, Sloane reveals her past, in hopes of more support towards the bill. As a consequence, Esme is attacked by an arms supporter,but the attacker is then shot dead by another civilian with concealed gun.

The stakes continue to raise higher on both sides, and an inquiry is launched against Elizabeth Sloane through the orchestration of her former boss George Dupont (Sam Waterston) and frenemy Pat Connors (Michael Stuhlbarg). Jane is instrumental in providing the evidence that Sloane was bribing a senator with a vacation to Indonesia to overturn the bill opposing reducing taxes on imported palm oil for Asian governments.

Additionally they have found and bring in Forde, whom one of the opposing lobbyists witnessed Sloane talking with in a hotel lobby previously, in an attempt to slander her. Forde admits he is an escort, but when asked if he’s met Elizabeth before, he responds that he has, but never as a client.

As the hearings wind up, it becomes clear to both Sloane and Schmidt that the issues are losing public interest and that the bill will soon go cold. In a surprise reveal, Sloane admits that she planned ahead of the current outcome, and placed a mole within her old firm. Jane was there all along and gave Dupont the info he needed to slander Sloane. Sloane also used illegal surveillance to record Dupont blackmailing congressman Sperling. Sloane was willing to accept jail time in order to positively influence the bill movement forward.

Pros: The characterization Jessica Chastain puts out for us is so compelling that we are able to forgive the somewhat formulaic ending. Most interesting of all, no real stance is taken in either adopting or fighting against gun control. Miss Sloane is incredibly unapologetic.

Cons: The supporting cast feels somewhat wasted, often purely serving the purpose of driving Sloane’s story (and big reveal) forward. The plot could easily become dated within years, and thusly, this piece lost in the annals of film.

Runtime: 2 hours 12 minutes

Points of Interest: Screenwriter Jonathan Perera was the only writer for the script. Jessica Chastain and John Lithgow worked together previously on Interstellar, but didn’t share any screen time then. Additionally Chastain and Mark Strong starred previously in Zero Dark Thirty.

Like so many other Jessica Chastain vehicles, this one demonstrates the raw talent and physical presence she is capable of bringing to the screen at any given moment. Lobbying is about foresight, Miss Sloane tells us at the open, and sure enough that is what we are there to witness. The subtle sense of sadness underpinning Sloanes power and position within her role are what make this a memorable performance, and despite the length of the endeavour, an engaging one.

theories Summarized

I think the rest I enjoyed this film, despite some of of it’s shortcomings really, is that Sloane is a modern day pioneer. She pushes her agenda through both force and manipulation, at the consequence personal relationships. The fact that this is something which happens in life regardless of gender is common, but on film it is uncommon, and this performance could have been phoned in.

But it wasn’t. It’s an intelligent and unyielding view of the workaholic.

Tim!