David M. Brown's Blog, page 35

Film Review: Dead Man’s Shoes

About Dead Man's Shoes (2004)A blend of horror, the supernatural, comedy and social realism. Richard (Paddy Considine) has always protected his simple-minded younger brother, Anthony (Tony Kebbell), but when Richard leaves his rural Midlands’ village to join the army, Anthony is taken in by Sonny (Gary Stretch), a vicious local drug dealer, and his gang of thugs. Anthony becomes the gang’s pet and it amuses them to bully him and corrupt his innocence. Seven years later Richard returns for revenge.

Starring: Paddy Considine, Gary Stretch, Toby Kebbell

Directed by: Shane Meadows

Runtime: 86 minutes

Studio: Optimum Home Releasing

 

 

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Review: Dead Man’s Shoes

In this brutal revenge drama from Shane Meadows, Richard (Paddy Considine) returns to his home in the Midlands after seven years away in the army. He is accompanied by his younger brother Anthony (Toby Kebbell) who is mentally disabled and looks up to his brother who has always looked out for him. During Richard’s time away, Anthony fell victim to a cruel crowd led by drug dealer, Sonny (Gary Stretch), who mistreated him in an appalling manner, physically, mentally and even sexually. Richard’s return home is to avenge the brutal abuse inflicted on his brother and he has Sonny and six other men in his sight.

Richard’s return begins relatively quietly. After staring at one of Anthony’s attackers in a pub, Richard is initially confrontational but then apologetic. The encounter is enough to unnerve the man though and not only does he inform his friends about it, including Sonny, but he believes it is Anthony’s brother, Richard, that has returned. Sonny’s group are initially unconcerned but when Richard breaks into their homes and puts graffiti on walls, clothes and even paints Sonny’s face, everyone is forced to take notice. Richard has only just begun though. Having scared Sonny’s group he faces up to the drug dealer and vows revenge against all of his group. Richard simply will not rest until they are all dead and only then can he look his brother in the eyes again, blaming himself for not being there to protect him.

Dead Man’s Shoes is a gritty drama and while some of the violence is gory, it is the scenes depicting Anthony’s abuse that are the hardest to watch. While we watch Richard take his revenge, we see through a series of black and white flashbacks throughout the film what Sonny and his friends inflicted on Anthony. These scenes are not for the faint-hearted and may prove too upsetting for some people. Considine is very good in the lead as the vengeful Richard with Stretch and Kebbell also taking on good parts. Perhaps the only downside to the film is the twist at the end, one I predicted within the opening few minutes. It’s still an effective denouement but it’s not hard to guess.

Dead Man’s Shoes is a well-acted but uncompromising story of revenge. Though Richard’s wrath is often unpleasant you will feel no sympathy for his victims given what they did to Anthony. Despite a twist that you can see a mile off, this remains a well-crafted film of brotherly love and the pursuit of personal justice.

Verdict: 4/5

Film Review: Dead Man’s Shoes | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

Guest Post: Nancy Klann-Moren

Today Nancy Klann-Moren, author of The Clock of Life, stops by to share a guest post about inspiration. 

Guest Post: Two And A Half Pounds of Inspiration by Nancy Klann-Moren

“Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love, and love what you write. The key word is love. You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for.”  Ray Bradbury

The ultimate reference book sits on my desk, within reach, as I work to better my writing each day.  It weighs two and a half pounds, and it has 1,059 pages.  A dictionary, you might guess.  Thesaurus?  An out-of-print Columbia Encyclopedia?   No, no, and no.

It’s my go-to book for inspiration. It’s titled, The Stories of Ray Bradbury, and it contains one-hundred stories penned by the ultimate dream-catcher.  I like to start my day with a cup coffee and a page of Bradbury ―just one of each―enough to charge my creative batteries.  One day I can read about a giant sea creature who falls in love with a lighthouse, the next day a “wonderful white ice cream summer suit!  White, white as the August moon!”

Yes, he inspires me.  So much so, that when asked in a recent interview, “If you could ask your favorite author one question, who would it be and what would you ask?”  My answer came fast, without any thought.  “Ray Bradbury,” I said.  “I would ask him to come back to us and grace us with more of his brilliance.”

The first time I had the pleasure of seeing the man whose prose read like poetry, was 1997, when he opened the Santa Barbara Writers Conference.  He stood before us, bouncing with enthusiasm as he shared precious gems of encouragement with seasoned and novice writer’s alike―each one of us hungry to learn his secrets.  I went back many more years, heard him speak again and again, and each time walked away touched by his brilliance, and his love of life.

“The great fun in my life has been getting up every morning and rushing to the typewriter because some new idea has hit me. The feeling I have every day is very much the same as it was when I was twelve. In any event, here I am, eighty years old, feeling no different, full of a great sense of joy, and glad for the long life that has been allowed me. I have good plans for the next ten or twenty years, and I hope you’ll come along.”  Written by Ray Bradbury on his 80th birthday.
 
Thinking about the ways this man has sparked my creativity, I began to wonder about the writers that have touched others in the same way.  I’d love to know what authors inspire you.


The Clock of Life (2013)In the small town of Hadlee, Mississippi, during the 1980′s, Jason Lee Rainey struggles to find his way amongst the old, steadfast Southern attitudes about race, while his friendship with a black boy, Samson Johnson, deepens.  

By way of stories from others, Jason Lee learns about his larger-than-life father, who was killed in Vietnam.  He longs to become that sort of man, but doesn’t believe he has it in him.  

In The Clock Of Life he learns lessons from the past, and the realities of inequality. He flourishes with the bond of friendship; endures the pain of senseless death; finds the courage to stand up for what he believes is right; and comes to realize he is his father’s son. 

This story explores how two unsettling chapters in American history, the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, affect the fate of a family, a town, and two boyhood friends.

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About Nancy Klann-MorenNancy tried her hand at writing short fiction while traveling for work in advertising and marketing, as a creative outlet on long plane rides.  That led to signing up for writing classes, writer’s conferences and local workshops.  Her goal―to create unique stories told in a distinctive voice.  Her short stories are eclectic and poignant, and have garnered awards and publication in anthologies. 
Short stories were her primary genre until one morning while in a workshop at The Santa Barbara Writers Conference, she read an excerpt.  When finished, the instructor, Sid Stebel, asked what she was doing for the next couple years, because, “What you have written isn’t a short story, it’s a novel.”  After a good deal of foot dragging she realized the subject matter was so important she took up the challenge and penned the novel, “The Clock of Life.”

Her collection of short stories is titled “Like The Flies On The Patio.”  

Nancy is now working on a new novel loosely based on the time she and a friend found an old diary in an antique shop and took a road trip to find the lady who wrote in the book.  The novel will take the girls cross country and into all sorts of trouble.

Favorite Authors:  Pat Conroy, T.C. Boyle, Ray Bradbury, Flannery O’Connor, Susan Cisneros, Barbara Kingsolver

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Guest Post: Nancy Klann-Moren | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

Film Review: Once

About Once (2006)Inspirational drama about two kindred spirits who find each other on the bustling streets of Dublin. One (Glen Hansard) is a street musician who lacks the confidence to perform his own songs. The other is a young mother (Marketa Irglova) trying to find her way in a strange new town. As their lives intertwine, they discover each other’s talents and push one another to realise what each had only dreamt about before.

Starring: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Senan Haugh, Leslie Murphy (II), Danuse Ktrestova

Directed by: John Carney

Runtime: 85 minutes

Studio: Fox Searchlight

 

 

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Review: Once

Glen Hansard is the thirty something Guy who spends his free time busking on the streets of Dublin. One day he meets a Czech Girl (Marketa Irglova) and the couple form a friendship that has a major impact on both their lives. The relationship begins innocently enough with the Girl learning that the Guy’s father runs a vacuum cleaner repair service. She has a vacuum cleaner in need of repair and the Guy is happy to help her out. Meeting the next day they end up in a music shop where the Girl plays on the piano while the Guy plays guitar and together they sing the film’s wonderful and Oscar winning signature song - Falling Slowly. 

The film follows this blossoming friendship as the Guy and the Girl compose music together. They each meet their families and come to enjoy every minute together, the glimmer of romance seemingly growing ever brighter on the horizon. The Guy is encouraged to not only record his music but to head to London to win back his ex-girlfriend who many of his songs are about. What is the Guy to do? Does he head for London alone or does he try to convince the Girl to go with him? Will the clearly mutual affection they have for one another lead to anything?

I love my films and my music, and Once has both in abundance. After hearing the Guy belt out a few tunes on the street we are given the privilege of hearing Falling Slowly as the Guy and the Girl join forces and it’s so uplifting to see these two creative souls finding one another. Both professional musicians rather than actors Hansard and Irglova deliver fantastic performances and the chemistry between them is wonderful, ultimately leading to a brief romance in real life. The ending is suitably apt, not resorting to a simple everything falls into place nicely Hollywood denouement but a more realistic turn. Things are looking up for the couple but not all their dreams are fulfilled.

Once is a beautifully tender and moving drama where the power of music unites two lost souls on the streets of Dublin. With two memorable performances from the two leads and an exquisite soundtrack as well, this is a simple story of friendship, love and music, but it’s an exhilarating experience throughout.

Verdict: 5/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

Film Review: Once | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

Game Review: The Blues Brothers

Review: The Blues Brothers (Amiga)

Released in the early nineties, this adaptation of John Landis’ classic film from 1980 gives you the choice of playing either Jake or Elwood. Your mission, probably from God, is to negotiate five levels beginning with a shopping centre, a chemical plant, a prison, a sewer network and finally a building site. On each level our two heroes must locate an item to be used at an upcoming concert such as a guitar and a speaker. Not that your course is ever smooth. There are many threats awaiting the Blues Brothers.

Each level contains police officers eager to stop you in your tracks but there are also weird and wonderful adversaries such as grannies let loose in charging trolleys and tunneling prisoners whose handiwork facilitates your progress through one particular level. Along the way you can collect rotating records as well as ? symbols which have a variety of effects, the best being causing our heroes to halt and do what may be interpreted as a provocative dance. You will also have to utilise the likes of umbrellas and balloons to help you advance, while items such as boxes can be lifted to hurl at your foes. After all that you have great background music lifted from the film which makes for a more entertaining experience.

The Blues Brothers can be approached with either one or two players. There is little difference between the brothers if you decide to go for the one player option. After clearing five levels you have one brief but final set-piece to negotiate before taking to the stage and performing in a money-raising concert as per the film. As an experience this one is a fun little platformer but as with many games from this time it is painfully short and you could easily clear this within an hour which is a shame.

The Blues Brothers is one of the better platform games from the Amiga days. It does suffer with the brevity but that was not unusual for games back then. What is there is quirky and fun with a great soundtrack. This is a good way to pass an hour though it doesn’t quite have the same magic as the 1980 film.

Verdict: 4/5

Game Review: The Blues Brothers | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

Film Review: Serpico

About Serpico (1973)Real life story of undercover police officer Frank Serpico (Al Pacino), who discovers that corruption is rife soon after joining the force. Refusing the payoffs which have become accepted practice, the nonconformist Serpico finds himself spurned and harrassed by his fellow officers. When the strain of performing his job honestly finally becomes too much, Serpico turns first to the disinterested police commission and finally to the ‘New York Times’ to make his voice heard, and is forced to give evidence in the resulting investigation. However, with the cops as well as the crooks now out for his blood, Serpico discovers that integrity comes at a very high price.

Starring: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire, Barbara Eda-Young

Directed by: Sidney Lumet

Runtime: 130 minutes

Studio: Paramount

 

 

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Review: Serpico

Oscar nominated Al Pacino plays Frank Serpico in Sidney Lumet’s gritty crime drama based on a true story. Starting in the police force in 1960, Serpico excels and rises slowly through the ranks but when he moves from uniform to plainclothes assignments he discovers that the level of corruption within the police force is staggering. The police have ties with criminals and accept pay offs to turn a blind eye to their activities. If this isn’t bad enough, Serpico is expected to do the same or risk the wrath of not just the criminals but his peers as well. Serpico places his integrity above anything else though and tries to defy the corruption.

Juggling work with personal relationships, Serpico finds the strain and pressure of his job driving his girlfriends away. He refuses to cave in to peer pressure and instead looks to expose the corruption within the police force by reporting to his superiors. Serpico soon discovers that he has a mountain of a task when his colleagues turn against him and his life comes under threat from all corners regardless of where he is transferred to. The question is can Serpico bring his colleagues to justice or will he wilt and succumb to the same corruption that is dragging the police force down.

Fresh from his role in The Godfather, Pacino delivered a very different performance here but it remains a powerful one. It’s saddening to watch him as the young and enthusiastic police officer at the outset and seeing how he deteriorates over the next twelve years. His hair his long, he has a beard and he wanders with his head down trying to avoid contact with his colleagues. Inevitably, something has to give as Serpico steps outside the police force and looks to outside agencies for help. That this story is true makes it all the more dramatic and sickening that an honest cop should be made to suffer so greatly.

Serpico is a compelling crime drama with a superb central performance from Pacino who was well worthy of the Oscar nod he received. Focusing less on fighting crime than aiding and abetting it, Serpico is all about the dark side of law enforcement and how trying to do the right thing leads to alienation and ultimately to violence.

Verdict: 4/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

Film Review: Serpico | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

Book Excerpt: Fun & Games – David Michael Slater

Today David Michael Slater, author of Fun & Games, stops by to share an excerpt from his book. 

Excerpt from Fun & Games

My friends and I were in ninth grade. They were fourteen—I was a birthday behind, having skipped kindergarten. It was Jake Baker, Cory Minor, Milo Atkins, and me.

The main purpose of the evening was to continue a long-running game of Dungeons and Dragons. These were always fairly chaotic affairs involving the rolling of many oddly shaped dice, the consulting of cryptic manuals, and a great deal of furious debate. But two other highly complex tasks were also on tap that night. The first was an evaluation of the better-looking girls in our grade. This required the passing back and forth of a chart circulated from Health class with columns in which to mark a score for the following categories: Face, Chest, Butt, Eyes, Mouth, Hair, Clothes, Overall Body, and lastly, for tie-breaking purposes, Personality. On the back was an appendix created by Dougie Marlin to settle disputes that arose from the dissemination of earlier versions of the chart. I remember under ‘Chest’ it said that voting was for size and shape alone—and that points couldn’t be added because a girl frequently didn’t wear a bra, purposely kept extra buttons open on her tops, intentionally brushed past boys in the hall with her boobs, or pressed them into you when you hugged her.

The other activity was called “The Purity Test,” which was a list of 100 questions that determined what was called one’s “Purity Rating.” A score of zero indicated absolute purity, while a score of one hundred signified ultimate depravity, neither of which was in the realm of possibility for any real human being, at least any we knew. The hope was for a respectably high score, which meant one checked the yes box for a fair number of questions. Anything in the low fifties was passable for a ninth-grader, though in no way impressive. Dom Lambert supposedly got an 81, which no one really believed, but no one really doubted, either. Rumor had it he fooled around with his cousins. The point of a decent score was to signal an adventurous nature, not to be disgusting.

There were many questions that were givens, things like, “Have you ever lied to your parents?” and “Have you ever seen a naked picture of a member of the opposite sex?” Of course, “Have you ever masturbated?” could be taken for granted as well, but people (other than Milo) tended to count that one and keep go- ing without comment. And then there was always, “Would you perform oral sex on yourself if you could?” This is why the test was typically taken in at least semi-private—but only semi because some questions we aspired to answer yes to publicly. These included the likes of, “Have you ever seen a porno?”, “Have you ever gotten drunk enough to puke?”, and all of the sex questions: “Have you ever had sex in a car? On an airplane? Outside? In your parents’ bed?”

The seemingly innocent question, “Have you ever kissed two different girls within twenty-four hours?” was currently causing controversy because kids looking for loopholes wanted to count mother- and sister-kisses. It was later revised to “French kissed,” by Dougie Marlin, who was also the facilitator for the Purity Test. I happened to be present when he was drafting a new version with this change. He looked at me after altering the term and said, “I kid you not, bro: if Olivia were my sister, I’d totally put the moves on her. I swear to God, I’d have a check in the incest box so freakin’ fast.”

 

Fun & Games (2013)The 1980’s: it’s the time of Dungeons & Dragons, banana clips, and Atari. Jonathan Schwartz is growing up in a family like no other. His sisters, Nadia, the dark genius, and Olivia, the gorgeous tease and temptress, manipulate Jon and his friends for their own entertainment.And his Holocaust survivor grandparents? Their coping techniques are beyond embarrassing. A disastrous visit to Jon’s class by his grandmother unhinges his famous father, setting off a chain of events that threatens to send the dysfunctional Schwartz clan up in flames once and for all. Fun & Games is a heartbreaking and hilarious story of faith, family secrets, betrayal, and loss—but it’s also a tale of friendship, love, and side-splitting shenanigans.

 

 

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About David Michael SlaterDavid Michael Slater is an acclaimed and award-winning author of books for children, teens, and adults. His books include Cheese Louise!, Flour Girl, Ned Loses His Head, and the controversial teen series, Sacred Books, which is being developed for film. David teaches in Reno, Nevada, where he lives with his wife and son.

 

 

 

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Book Excerpt: Fun & Games – David Michael Slater | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

Film Review: Do The Right Thing

About Do The Right Thing (1989)Spike Lee’s study of racial tensions takes place on the hottest day of the year in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. The film charts the increasing tension between a black pizza delivery boy (Spike Lee) and his Italian bosses, the local folk and yuppy newcomers, and builds inexorably to a violent confrontation.

Starring: Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Giancarlo Esposito

Directed by: Spike Lee

Runtime: 120 minutes

Studio: Universal Studios

 

 

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Review: Do The Right Thing

Spike Lee’s tense drama takes place in Brooklyn where Mookie (Spike Lee) is a young father who works at a local pizzeria where he delivers to the locals. The pizzeria owner Sal (Danny Aiello) has been in business for 25 years and has maintained a good relationship with the black community. His son Pino (John Turturro) doesn’t share his father’s tolerance though and despises the neighbourhood. On a sweltering day in Brooklyn, an argument between Sal and one of Mookie’s friends, Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito), over the absence of black men and women on the pizzeria’s hall of fame is the catalyst for a complete breakdown in race relations between Sal and the rest of the community.

This neighbourhood in Brooklyn is filled with memorable characters. Mookie goes about his business earning for his family and annoying his girlfriend, Tina (Rosie Perez), who seldom sees him. A much-loved drunk Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) wanders the neighbourhood and has designs on Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) who watches the locals from her window. A mentally disabled man named Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith) sells pictures of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) wanders around with his ghetto blaster playing just one song, while local DJ Mister Senor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson) keeps the neighbourhood updated on the weather and comments on the passersby. The intense heat leads to mounting tensions as fire hydrants are relieved of their water, arguments ensue with a Korean family making their living in the area, but finally as the sun begins to set we return to the pizzeria where the conflict erupts into violence.

Lee’s drama has created an intricate and fascinating neighbourhood in Brooklyn where Sal’s business has been much-loved, with one of the characters commenting that kids are raised on food from the pizzeria. The heat gets to everyone though and in trying to stay cool the atmosphere becomes more volatile. When violence does finally break out at the end of a long day there is tragedy around the corner. The title is said to refer to a decision Mookie makes at the end when Sal and his sons are fighting the locals led by Buggin’ Out and Radio Raheem. There are no smiles and handshakes in the aftermath, just a neighbourhood scarred by the intense battle. It is an apt conclusion and though controversial it is a realistic depiction of how tense race relations remain throughout the world.

Do The Right Thing is an excellent depiction of how everyday people living together in seeming harmony can see the peaceful equilibrium deteriorate. While this neighbourhood in Brooklyn is home to a mostly black community, there is no suggestion that white people are not welcome, and the carefree nature at the outset holds no hint of the violence that is to come. Race relations remain delicate, especially in America, and Spike Lee’s film, though more than twenty years old, remains an apt reflection of modern society.

Verdict: 4/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

Film Review: Do The Right Thing | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

Game Review: Captain Planet

Review: Captain Planet (Amiga)

When my brother and I first received an Amiga as a Christmas present it came with a boxed set of dozens of games. Amongst the selection was Captain Planet. Anyone from my generation will surely remember the TV series where a group of eco warriors with elemental rings went into battle against evil polluters and their combined forces could summon Captain Planet to help them out. It was a classic series which was educational as well as entertaining. The game sought to capture some of that magic.

Divided into six levels, Captain Planet has each of the five Planeteers having to negotiate a level alone, clearing up nuclear waste, avoiding or killing enemies they come across and having to accomplish a series of tasks. A major clean-up of the environment is your first objective but you will also need to rescue animals that are scattered throughout the level and either guide or carry them to safety. To begin with you can play through two levels, choosing either Wheeler’s simple opening challenge or Gi’s more tricky second level. When you complete one level, an additional one becomes available with Ma-Ti’s level being the third, followed by Linka and finally Kwame. Once all five levels are complete, there is a final level involving Captain Planet himself.

Visually, Captain Planet was distinctly average even back in the early nineties but it was a pretty fun game all the same. The problem came with the game’s difficulty. Wheeler’s level is really easy but I always struggled with Gi’s level and hated myself whenever I accidentally killed the innocent dolphins. Ma-Ti and Linka’s levels were always more straightforward in my opinion whereas Kwame’s was more difficult. We then come to Captain Planet’s level which isn’t worth the wait to be honest. Our superhero has access to all the elemental abilities of the Planeteers but he can only carry two at a time. In order to progress through his level you are compelled to backtrack to collect a certain element that will help unlock new and unexplored areas. This proves frustrating as you close on the concluding battle.

Captain Planet instilled the same nostalgia I’ve felt with every Amiga game I’ve revisited but this is certainly one of the weaker efforts unfortunately. While playable and fun in places, it also has some pretty difficult levels and playing as Captain Planet is nowhere near as much fun as the Planeteers. You will feel good cleaning up the environment but you’ll hate yourself if you kill any animals and it’s sadly too easy to do. Better graphics and a different approach to the final level would have improved this game greatly. Good memories but not the Amiga’s finest hour.

Verdict: 3/5

Game Review: Captain Planet | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

Film Review: It’s Kind of a Funny Story

About It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)Adapted from Ned Vizzini’s 2006 novel, It’s Kind of a Funny Story tells the story of burnt-out teenager Craig (Keir Gilchrist), who checks himself into a mental health clinic citing exhaustion, and finds himself placed in the adult ward due to the fact that the youth ward has been shut down. Taken under the wing of fellow patient Bobby (Zach Galifianakis), the stressed-out 16-year-old attempts to endure his mandatory five days’ stay without completely losing his mind. His predicament is made somewhat more tolerable by the presence of Noelle (Emma Roberts), another teenage patient who’s struggling to sort out her thoughts.

Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Keir Gilchrist

Directed by: Ryan Fleck Anna Boden

Runtime: 102 minutes

Studio: Focus Features

 

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Review: It’s Kind of a Funny Story

16 year old Craig Gilner (Keir Gilchrist) contemplates suicide, facing numerous pressures in his young life, both in education and personally. He turns to the local hospital for help and is given a week’s stay in a psychiatric ward for further analysis. During his week in the hospital, Craig strikes up a friendship with Bobby (Zach Galifianakis) and later comes to know Noelle (Emma Roberts). The question is can Craig begin a long and difficult healing process, working through his many problems, or will he choose to remain in the psychiatric ward?

Craig is under extreme pressure with an application for summer school, pressure from his father to do well and then there is his best friend Aaron (Thomas Mann) who Craig both admires and envies, especially as Craig is in love with Aaron’s girlfriend Nia (Zoe Kravitz). When he enters the psychiatric ward, Craig initially believes he has made a mistake but gradually he comes to value his time there. He and Bobby become good friends and when Craig offers to give Bobby one of his father’s shirts for an upcoming interview, the kind gesture is noticed by Noelle who also befriends Craig. What begins is a potential romance but Craig still loves Nia and he can’t worry about relationships until he can find begin healing himself.

Balancing comedy and drama given the subject matter, It’s Kind of a Funny Story manages to get everything spot on. Gilchrist is great in the lead as the troubled Craig, while Galifianakis and Roberts support him well as fellow patients with difficult problems of their own. While some elements of the film may be difficult for some people to watch there is a real feeling of hope and positivity towards the end for many of the characters involved here. It addresses many of the pressures that face both teenagers and adults in what is so often an unforgiving world that we all share.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story is both a moving drama and an uplifting comedy about a young man with many pressures on his shoulders who is revitalised by the friendships and people he finds in a psychiatric ward. The film doesn’t quite reach the excellence of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest but it’s still one of the best I’ve seen this year.

Verdict: 5/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

Film Review: It’s Kind of a Funny Story | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

Book Excerpt: Travelplan – Ryan Astaphan

Today Ryan Astaphan stops by to share an excerpt from his book, Travelplan. 

Excerpt from Travelplan

After a successful day in London, I was brimming with confidence. I had neither a fear nor a care in the world. You could drop me anywhere in the world with my backpack and my weapon of choice – a GoPro HD Hero camera mounted on an adjustable mono-pod – and I’d come out victorious and ready for stardom. Then, India fucking happened.

Shit got real the moment I stepped thru the automatic doors and exited New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Instead of the subway, I opted for a government taxi to take me to the train station. Just at that time it was becoming evident just how clueless I was. When the taxi official asked if I was heading to New Delhi or Old Delhi’s train station, I stared at him blankly. Once that question was sorted out and my fare was purchased, I was jammed into a cab with another passenger, an Indian-looking fellow. Our destination was the same, so we rode together. The tall man had just flown in from his home in Dubai to visit family. Our conversation flowed naturally, as his English was exquisite. To my surprise, both the cabbie and my fellow passenger informed me that it would be highly unlikely to catch a train to Rishikesh that day.

To say dread poured through me might be hyperbole, but serious doubts began to surface. Minutes into India and I had already fucked up. What I needed more than anything at that time was a Guru. Luckily, I was sitting right next to one. The name of my mate sharing the taxi with me? Guru.

Guru ushered me past the throngs of sharks swimming outside the station. Each one eager to pounce and pull me in their direction. I trailed Guru like a duckling following its mother. Something in his heart dedicated his efforts to ensuring my well-being. He inquired and negotiated tickets for me, in fact doing so to the point of missing his intended train. When one option of transportation failed to deliver me to the yoga capital of the world, he moved to the next. That was until an idea sprouted in his head, “want to go to an Indian wedding?” he said. Without hesitation I answered, “sure!”

Once that was decided, we made way for some food and beer. A rickshaw would take us to lunch. As we approached the 3-wheeled vehicle, I passed what I believed to be a leper. He laid on the ground with hands blackened from chalk. Each finger was nubbed, all missing the tips, only revealing a point of bone protruding from each. With his disfigured digits he drew the elephant-headed Indian deity Ganesh on the sidewalk.

Guru and I shared Tandori chicken, naan (a delicious flatbread), and buttered chicken for lunch. The buttered chicken was phenomenal, looking nothing like the name would infer to the Western mind. We washed it all down with large Kingfischer beers. Unlike in the States, 12 oz bottles are not the norm in India. Instead, a bottle around 750 ml is the default size with your purchase.

Lunch was the beginning of my weekend of pampering.

Guru responded to me offering him money for lunch with a gracious “fuck you!” The trend continued over the weekend. Guru and I were in Delhi and needed to catch a 4:20 train to Ludhiana in the state of Punjab, in the northwest of India. We only had one ticket, but he assured me that he could sneak me on. It reminded me of my days of sneaking into the movies. After seeking out the proper gentleman at the station and greasing his palm with a small sum, my spot on the train had been okayed. Some 5 hours later I woke up not more than 80 miles from the border of Pakistan.

Travelplan (2012)Everything that has happened in your life has lead you to where you are now. The events of Ryan Astaphan’s life lead him halfway across the globe. Made miserable by his job and debilitating injuries, Ryan set out to Asia in order to find happiness. Ryan embarked on a spiritual and physical journey through India, Thailand, and China. He would practice yoga, kickbox, change lives, and live in a remote kung fu academy.

Travelphan is a psychological, intimate, and inspirational story told in a modern voice. Utilizing short chapters, Travelphan is an easy read for the text message and status-update generation. Travelphan is a book like none other.

 

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About Ryan AstaphanRyan Astaphan is 28 years old, a first time author, and a Florida Gator.

 

 

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Book Excerpt: Travelplan – Ryan Astaphan | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave