We Need To Talk About Kevin- Review

I now also write for The Flaneur online arts magazine, find this review and many others here: http://flaneur.me.uk/11/we-need-to-talk-about-kevin-review/

We stepped into the cinema and already the atmosphere was heavy. There was no chew of popcorn or crackle of sweet wrappers, just the steadily increasing noise of expectation. I could almost feel the unanimous tight-chest sensation as the lights dimmed and I had the feeling that everyone in the room shared with me a sense of foreboding. They had read the book.

Lynne Ramsay has done a remarkable job of adapting Lionel Shriver’s text for the screen, capturing the evil in Kevin from the moment he arrives in the world to the incident in which he ends everyone else’s. Tilda Swinton plays Kevin’s mother and protagonist Eva Katchadourian, and is believable for the entirety of her screen time. Not for one minute did I doubt that she had raised, and battled with Kevin. Swinton’s ability to convey raw emotion through her facial expressions and body language means that although the film relies on visual characterisation rather than dialogue, the viewer understands her on a vastly more intimate level.

Ezra Miller plays Kevin and is every bit the ostentatious, challenging son. Miller’s good looks mixed with his unsettling stares and callous manner succeed in creating unease that does not shift for a long time after people have gone home. And despite many of the scenes featuring a teenage Kevin squeezed comically into his child self’s T-shirts, Miller exudes such control and supremacy that this is turned on its head and we are lead to respect his, be it warped, choice. Ramsay’s use of red throughout the film may seem obvious, and its links to blood may appear unnecessary. However, they offer a consistency throughout the film whilst a time continuum is played with, juggling with the viewer’s mind to the point where the colour theme may be the only constant. The scene of the incident itself may come as a disappointment to those who have read the book. It is not done in nearly as much detail but merely suggested at through a series of shots on various characters. This however, lends itself to the imagination of the viewer, which in turn, makes the scene all the more powerful. The wide eyed expression from Swinton outside the school is haunting to say the least.

This film, on its most simplistic level, addresses the nature versus nurture debate. From even before we see Eva staring at her heavily pregnant reflection, we can tell that she is separated from the ideas of parenthood despite her efforts to unearth her maternal instincts. But does this detachment cause a child to become evil, or is the evil something already part of them?

Whether you have read the book or not, We Need To Talk About Kevin is a film worth watching. It is not one for those looking for entertainment or a happy ending. It is far from an easy watch. But this film gets down to the fundamentals of characterisation and offers an alternative to the typical Hollywood movies screened night after night.

Too early for Christmas?

Ok, call me Scrooge but with the growing number of Christmas decorations appearing in shop windows and "Christmas trees for sale HERE!" signs greeting me every time I pass a DIY store, I can't help but think that things have got a bit ridiculous. Since September, adverts mentioning the 'C' word have become more and more frequent, as have people's Facebook status'. I remember when, even in the many years after learning that Santa Claus didn't wriggle down our chimney each year, feeling warm and fuzzy thinking about Christmas. There was still a magic to the season and I associated it with frosty air, cinnamon scented candles and sticking cloves in oranges. This all happened after the first of December, it was a family tradition. That was when advent (and of course the chocolate advent calendar) started, and when all the festivities would begin. But over the past few years my eyes have opened up to the commercialisation of the festive season and it has begun to put a dampener on the excitement. For the past few years I've come to measure when is acceptable to start getting into the Christmas spirit by the Coca Cola advert. I grew up watching that advert year after year and as a child, it always seemed to mark the turn of the weather and the excitement that suddenly engulfed London, and indeed our family home. But I fear it's being shown earlier and earlier. This said advert appeared on our screen for the first time last week, in mid-November, and so I am having to wrestle with my childhood self and ask, is it Christmas now, or not?

The book is always better than the film...

I've often found it sad when people dismiss reading for pleasure as a waste of time or just merely regard it as unnecessary. For me, instead of switching on the television, the computer or the Xbox, I cannot imagine a better way of winding down than picking up a good book and using my own imagination to piece together the characters and their surroundings. I often tell my friends that a book is always better than its film version, mainly because a film cannot do justice to the minor details of a book or else we would be sat with numb backsides in the cinema for what would become many uncomfortable and boring hours. However, many books do not get the recognition they deserve until they are mounted onto the big screen. Those who do not have the patience to read books can enjoy the same story through the art of the moving image. Sometimes this in turn encourages them to seek out the original story in it's written form, shedding the light on another otherwise overlooked gem. The thing that bothers me though, is that no matter how it has been done, I always feel the book has been somewhat ruined by the film. There are many examples: Dear John, Eat Pray Love, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Perfume, The Time Traveler's Wife. They are all fantastic books but their film versions have well...fallen short. I know, I could avoid it altogether and just never watch the films and believe me, there have been many times when I have done just that. My problem is that those who didn't read the book and went to see the film will never know the true magic of the story, as it was written by it's creator.

Student? Former student? Graduate? Unemployed?

Since the age of about four, when you first begin nursery, you've known either consciously or subconsciously what's coming next. Or rather your parents did and that's all that mattered. Nursery, reception, primary school, secondary school and then it's either a job or college/sixth form and then university. I'm at the extremely difficult transitional phase of moving from student to responsible adult. I don't actually know what to call myself. I'm no longer a student, but still awaiting my grades and graduation, I'm not a graduate either. Does that make me unemployed? I've just moved out of the student house I lived in for two years and am now back home, in my parent's house, my room littered with bin bags full of the clothes I have yet to unpack. Since arriving home I have scoured the newspapers and websites for jobs and so far have applied to as many as I can count on one hand. And I know I am not alone. Speaking to many of my friends in the same position, it seems that the unanimous feeling is "There are no jobs for me." Most of us still don't know what we want to do and there is a ridiculous amount of pressure on us to land ourselves a career immediately. Students do get a hard time. They (the majority) work hard at getting the best grade they can in each piece of work they submit, join many societies/additional activities and generally try to do the best they can to better themselves and give them a leg up for their future. Only to be bumped out of university with no idea of where to go or what to do next. I did go to careers advice a couple of times but felt the same helplessness walking out as I did going in. It might be too much to ask, but I feel that students about to go out into the working world need much more support than they are currently getting. And a bit more understanding from those who feel that students are lazy young people unwilling to work.

Kings of Leon - Review

The sky was still heavy with dark clouds, threatening more of the rain that had fallen all afternoon. The ground was sodden and my boots were covered with thick mud. The sun was beginning to move towards the horizon and with a drink in hand, I watched as Paul Weller finished his set. It was time to get moving. We wormed our way through the crowd, which thickened with each step we took. The atmosphere was expectant, electric. Slotting ourselves into the middle of the crowd, we waited. In the low-key, laid back style of Kings of Leon, the band arrived on stage. Opening with Four Kicks, their energy took no time in getting the crowd going. It's been said that a successful artist sounds better live than they do on record. Well these boys definitely did. Despite a sore throat, Caleb delivered an amazing performance of Charmer. McFearless was played in memory of Ryan Dunn of the Jackass series, who sadly passed away this week. Miraculously, the dark clouds had cleared, leaving us with a turquoise sky and midway through their set the sun began to fade; the dusky light adding to the incredible atmosphere. The encore consisted of Radioactive, Use Somebody and Black Thumbnail, with fireworks rising above the stage during the final chords of the last song. I may not have made it to a festival this year, but this sure as hell made up for it!

Photograph from thegumtree.com

The Hangover 2 - Review

If you loved The Hangover, this sequel will not disappoint. It follows the same formula as the first film; four friends have a few too many drinks at a stag do and wake up the next morning with no recollection of what happened the night before. But this time they're in Thailand. With a language barrier, a monkey and the responsibility of looking after a minor thrown into the equation, the 'Wolfpack' faced a whole load of new challenges this time around. I was a little anxious that because the first film hit all the right notes, part 2 was never going to match up. I was wrong. More vulgar, more stunts, and definitely more hilarious, The Hangover 2 is worth going to see!

The Script - Review

Contrary to the reviews I had read before buying tickets to see The Script, there were not just 14 year old girls surrounding us as we stood, Magners in hand, in the standing area of Wembley Arena. I had bought the tickets as a 23rd birthday present for my boyfriend and we were pleased to find that there were people of all ages coming to enjoy their music.

Clare Maguire was the support act. I had only heard a couple of her songs, so wasn’t expecting to enjoy her set as much as I did. Each and every song was delivered with so much feeling and enthusiasm, and she succeeded in getting the crowd going despite the fact she was only on for a short time. Her energy and vigour on stage, paired with her success in interacting with her fans, had almost the entire audience jumping around and singing her lyrics back to her. Her vocal ability was immense too, making me think that this woman won’t be a support act for much longer and is on her way to becoming incredibly popular.

The Script didn’t leave their audience waiting for long after Miss Maguire played her last song. After a quick change of set the boys arrived on stage one by one, greeted by screaming fans. Opening with You Won’t Feel A Thing had the fans going crazy before O’Donoghue even began to sing. As expected, the Irish trio did not disappoint. The vocals were on top form and each song was done justice by their effortless musical ability. Sheehan’s casual humour had the audience smiling in between songs and succeeded in building a connection between the lads on stage and their fans who packed out the arena. Power, although seemingly a man of few words, had an admirable energy on the drums, achieving a fast paced, energetic set that left the fans drumming the floor with their feet, begging for an encore. They of course obliged, coming back to play For The First Time, This=Love and Breakeven before saying their goodbyes and wishing us a good night.

We left the arena in high spirits. We had not seen The Script live before and they did not let us down. If every performance of theirs is like this one, we may even come back to see them again.