The Last Duel: Is there a better actor working than Jodie Comer?

(Spoilers) She’s done it again! In an uncomfortable, exciting and thought-provoking Ridley Scott epic Jodie shows again why I like to call her ‘Cameleon Comer’. But why name such a treasure after a lizard? Although of course all of God’s creatures are beautiful (apart from perhaps wasps, what are they for again?). Well dear reader….she is an inspiration to emerging actors like moi because she can do it ALL.

Convincing versatility and emotional depth are two massive acting-mountains that she has conquered. Jodie is capable of truthfully and compellingly playing a variety of characters. This is what many actors do, in fact you may say it’s our job after all…yet does anybody do it so well in mainstream screen-acting? ‘The Last Duel’ asks her to play a character in a refreshing story structure that’s broken down in to three chapters to show the perspective on events of each main character. This means that when we watch a scene for the first time, we may develop certain opinions, but then when the scene comes around again in the next chapter a new layer or aspect is explored.

The film plays with our prejudices, my idea of right and wrong changed repeatedly as in each chapter and scene we learn something new about the characters and their motives. We ask ourselves different questions, and I was engaged. Jodie’s character is tested at every turn- she is raped which leads to every other character seeing the situation from their selfish perspective. The lord who attacked her sees it as consensual- because she MUST want him if he wants her…he is a man and he ‘loves’ her…and that gives him a right to express that however he wishes. Her feelings must be confused, is she SURE she doesn’t love him? Silly girl.

How dare she make a fuss says her Mother-in-Law. It’s normal to be raped, and there are things of greater concern to the men in power. Women shouldn’t cry about it and cause a distraction. Don’t be selfish! Silly silly girl.

Her husband makes it about him. He feels victimised because she is his property and the accused rapist has already taken so much from him. His pride has been hurt and he must rip up heaven and earth to duel with the accused because he is a man and the centre of his own Universe. Her feelings don’t matter. She is warned how much trouble she will cause if she doesn’t quietly back down. Silly silly silly girl.

She is so alone and isolated. Today’s world is reflected in it’s portrayal of male privilege, rape, mysogny and power.

The film reminds us how important human beings are. Jodie’s character just wants the truth to be pursued with reasonable means and to be there to enjoy life with her unborn child, experiencing the joy of motherhood and human connection. Wouldn’t it be nice to be loved as a beautiful soul rather than as property? Human’s want love and to be valued. And Jodie plays that so well. She can do it in a blockbuster historical epic, or in a more low key but powerful role such as the care-home worker she plays with such effecting realism in the covid-drama ‘The Help’.

This entralling truth is created through her accents, physicality and deft immersion in her characters’ circumstances. She is a wonderful artist and we are lucky to have her on screen to make us laugh, cry and everything in between.

You shouldn’t have to wait 30 mins for a film to get interesting- Zack Synder’s Justice League

(Spoilers) I gave the recent ‘Zack Snyder’s Justic League’ release 30 mins, which is quite generous when you only live once. I get the impression lots of B-List type actors like Diane Lane and Michael McElhatton were very well paid to do not very in terms of dramatic weight and thematics. These days running on spectacle just isn’t enough for me. I feel like life is not made for sitting and eating popcorn. I was bored, so I stopped watching, it’s as simple as that. Life is too short. There are zillions of life experiences, books, films etc to enjoy. I was bored because the film was hopping from location to location without any particular nuance. The plot seems to revolve around a baddie and his minions coming to Earth somehow, but why should the audience care? Great comic-book films like ‘The Dark Knight’ hook you from the beggining with an interesting premise and captivating characters. They are concise yet profound at the same time. This 4-hour long Justice League felt like it was trying to be everything by throwing lots of characters and events at me without anything sticking, which ends up in it feeling like nothing. It was like it was trying to make up for the DC universe not being crafted into an interesting overarching plot before this film, which the Marvel movies did brilliantly over several years and films.

The little ‘sending the world back to the dark ages’ London subplot was interesting and I was looking forward to seeing where it led, but a superhero (Wonder Woman) who happens to be watching the events unfold comes and saves the day generically. I wanted to see what attacking the capitalist financial system would look like- would the world have to lose something to find something? Did the terrorists want to alleviate climate change by halting the global economy for example? Where was the nuance? I usually give films more than 30mins but I don’t think viewers should have to wait so long to be interested. The creativity and intrigue in films like ‘The Dark Knight’ enrich you from the start- a new villian like the Joker is introduced in an exciting way.

Living with Anxiety and Depression: Things that help- #3 Take small steps on your journey

Cliches like “Rome wasn’t built in a day” can be useful if they have elements of truth, which in this case is that taking small steps every day towards your goals means you are moving forward. Sometimes that’s all you can ask of yourself if you’re feeling rubbish. It doesn’t have to be a major thing- did you start a blog post, go for a five-minute mindful walk or have a quick hot-cold shower? Did you say no to sugar for the first time in ages on your lunch break? Brilliant. Slow and steady wins the race.

From my experience with mental illness, I know that trying to live good habits each day moves me towards more mentall wellness. It is difficult, or perhaps impossible, to transform yourself overnight. Our brains have neurones that are set in their ways, but new habits can gently create new ways of being that accumulate over time. Watching productive YouTube videos each day is a great way for me to reinforce and build new pathways upstairs in my head. My life is made up of small actions that will lead to me being brilliantly well. I believe it will happen and I can feel it happen each day. It is a physical inevitability that I will feel better over time because I am building my life around wellness.

An example of a great video on cumulative gains

These days many of us don’t have much to truly worry about. We aren’t going to be eaten by tigers, we won’t have to go to war, the next illness we get isn’t likely to kill us. There is so much room to focus on biochemical bliss, feeling wellness in the present moment, as the here and now is all we have. So take steps NOW to feel well. Have a cold shower to reduce your inflammation. Eat some wholefoods. Stretch. Do a few yoga poses. Dip into the wellness of life.

If you’d like to help me become financially self-sufficient then please visit https://www.patreon.com/DavidJamesNaylor

How to COVID Staycate- The joys of easy U.K. travel

For anybody that loves travelling, COVID has thrown up challenges. But it’s also offered opportunties. With venturing abroad fraught with complications, holidaying closer to home is easy, less stressful and gives you the chance to explore beautiful places that weren’t on your bucket list.

How I staycate

The U.K. is full of interesting places to visit. I decide where I want to go the most, and then work out how whether I want to pay the price of journeying and staying there. I’d love to go to Bath, but I’m not paying £100+ for a return train ticket and coaches from West Yokshire don’t seem to be on at the moment. The cost of going there puts it down on my list. I’d rather go to somewhere naturistic like Windermere for £35 return if I’m on my own and therefore relying on trains/coaches.

Murray House in Harrogate- close by to a terrific vegan deli with raw options. Good base for local hiking

Does the destination tick my boxes?

Are there interesting things to do there? I love museums, films, theatre, nature etc. so, for example, I check whether there are nice walks nearby which are a travellers staple when some indoorsy things are currently closed/limited. I can wind away an evening in the cinema, read or watch enticing content using 4G or wifi.

WiFI wanderers

Many of my generation are lost without wifi, and would go crazy if they can’t get a good solid connection. I like to stay in places with wifi however being on GiffGaff means I can choose the size of my ‘goodybag’ each month- so I can pay £12 and get 11GB of data which comfortably lets me stream videos and surf the web dude. God forbid the wifi and 4G signal is poor…but I take books along and a notebook to give me some options! Staycations can also be chance to switch off from the digital world and give your synapses a rest. Many of us are frequently stimulated by vibrations, pings, swoops and jingles from our devices/extra limbs.

Getting from A to B and planning your days

Phones are brilliant for guiding you via maps to the nearest supermarket to buy your vegan sausage roll without much fuss (I still get lost, it’s part of the fun :D). You can also google “Windermere walks” or “things to do in Windermere” before or during your stay to build up a shortlist for your itinerary. I work out where I want to go the most on a given day and whether there are interesting spots nearby to visit on the same day if I have time.

COVID opportunities

COVID has given us a chance to delve in to nature, replenishing our stressed and uncertain bodies in the U.K.s varied embrace. It’s easy to hop on board splitmyfare and get yourself some digital tickets or nationalexpress if you prefer your luxrious carriage to have four wheels. I usually choose the well-reviewed cheapest options on booking.com as they come with a bed and a door in which you can walk out and explore the U.K.

What are you waiting for!

Sophie’s Choice and learning to act

Watching Sophie’s Choice has been on my bucket list for a while. What is it about Meryl Streep that captivates us? The acting in the film has a conversational flow, with the actors not taking too long to say lines. They do not seem to make many pauses, sometimes biting on to the other line in a way that feels impactful. In my own burgeoning acting persuasions, perhaps I take too many pauses, and could change my thoughts whilst speaking. This is instead of pausing my speaking to change a thought which may take away some drive from a scene.

Meryl seems to be feeling and inhabiting the character in a way that feels natural rather than forcing emotion or feeling. There are natural transitions between feelings in the scenes. Different levels of tension between characters.

Kevin Kline has such bounding energy. He comes across as a bit of a douche but then we find out why. Perhaps he is tragic. He reminds me of my own mood which can be very up and down but I believe that it is because I feel things intently, be they good or bad. I feel I could scream with anger and with joy depending on the circumstances, and perhaps that is part of living life to the full where different things happen. Life is bittersweet as the beautiful narration at the end of the film reminds us. I have learnt to go in to what I feel as feelings are all valid. I can then use this technique of going in to what I feel in any given moment to be instinctive when I act. Let’s see how it goes.

Living with Anxiety and Depression: Things that help- #2 Pursuing self-development

Similar to my last blog that mentioned finding and popping fear bubbles, the second thing that has helped me to deal with anxiety and depression is the pursuit of self-development.

I’ve recently loved exploring Mindvalley’s free masterclasses and have received many insights. The most important one is that of doing things that grow me. I try to make concious decisions about what I do. Will watching this film grow me? Will I learn something new or reinforce an important insight? I try to watch films that will develop my knowledge of the craft, such as from a director’s or actor’s perspective. Will taking this action grow me. Perhaps not everything we do is going to be part of out self-development, but unconcious choices such as food shopping decisions and how we spend our time can be steered towards developing ourselves. Will this bottle of Pepsi help me, or could I choose to drink a healthy smoothie to give me energy instead?

When you have anxiety and/or depression, you can get stuck. Trying to make decisions that grow me helps me to feel like I’m following a more fulfilling and healthier path. If I look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I feel like I’m pursuing self-actualisation and not just existing. It’s like I’m on a path of abundance where things come at the right time, although I feel like things have come at the right time throughout my life. Even depression and anxiety came at a time that allowed me to learn how to live healthily. They have been a huge positive in my life as feeling free of them means trying to be my best self. Failing is ok, as are mistakes. But I’ve got to try or I feel unfilled and fall back in to a pattern of rumination and unhealthy habits. That’s not to say that every waking moment has to be a beacon of self-development. You’re still allowed to pick your nose, but the general direction of my today is one towards growth.

Living with Anxiety and Depression: Things that help- #1 Facing Fear

As I begin writing this post, it’s been 3 years, 5 months and 10 days since my last blog. What I’ve been doing in that time will be the subject of further pieces, but this one is about my mental health, something that has had a huge and constructive impact on my life.

I have had anxiety and depression ( I’ll refer to them as A and D respectively and as AD together) for several years. I’m not sure when the onset of either was, but I’d say they crept up in the years before I turned 13, and became very acute when I went to University in 2013. But don’t worry! I am OK and feel stronger, more fulfilled, more secure, resilient and happier than perhaps ever!

I’d describe A as being too much fear and uncomfortable feeling. Many of us feel anxiety but it feels like I have too much because it affects how I feel, my mood, and possibly my actions.

D is low mood for me, and feeling apathetic with some hopelessness. AD together are a chemical unpleasantness- on a basic level they can make me feel bad/unwell.

But they are constructive because they have encouraged to push myself in a pursuit of lessening their impact and hopefully eradicating them from my life. I have pushed through several fear bubbles to build a better me and a more fulfilling life- going to Univesity, studying abroad, doing a first aid course, travelling alone or with people I don’t know- the list goes on. That brings me to #1 on my list of things that have helped me:

Finding fear, facing fear and coming out of the other side

I’ve just finished Ant Middleton’s second book “The Fear Bubble” which details (I think) how pushing through fear builds you. It hurts. But going on that year abroad, being a first-aider, it makes me stronger when I face fear and just go with it. Life is scarier in a way but it is more fulfilling. I do stuff that makes me anxious if feel it is part of being ‘on purpose’- taking opportunities that come in to my life. So after googling ‘acting classes West Yorkshire’ last year I signed up for a free taster. Going to the bus stop to go to the taster brought anxiety. But I did it….and then the bus didn’t turn up on time (typical) so I wouldn’t have been able to get to the class on time. So I had to face fear again by ringing up the phone number for the acting school and saying I wouldn’t be able to get there that evening….and the nice lady on the phone said to just turn up the week after! Which I did. I face anxiety every week turning up to class. But I feel like I’m on purpose. It feels good to go, and then it feels great when I get the bus home after (or leave the zoom meeting these days as it’s online). It gives me a buzz. That’s smashing the fear bubble.

You only live once, so live your best life, but don’t feel guilty if you feel that you’re not

Cheesy but true. Follow your instinct. Google those acting classes. Dip your feet in. Follow what feels right. It’s not always easy, and that makes it scary and fun. It’s OK to not be facing your fears all of the time. Be kind to yourself. I sometimes have big breaks between doing things that feel on purpose. I did an acting course in 2014 or 2015 and then started more classes in 2019. I have probably procrastinated away a lot of time, and that time felt dead rather than alive. But I don’t blame myself because that leads to more negative thoughts and feelings. I try to use mistakes as motivation to keep going and playing with life.

If you do something and it doesn’t work out, and you feel like it’s not for you, then that might help you choose the next fear bubble to tackle. Write about what happened. Journal about your fears to ease the pressure on your head. Journalling brings resistance too but I think it helps me get things in perspective. Write for a certain amount of time each day, say 5, 10 or 15 minutes, and try not to ruminate on things the rest of the time. Ruminating has been a stinker for me. It involves thinking about thinking, going over things again and again in a way that has made me feel miserable. Techniques such as journalling and mindfulness help me to break the cycle and focus on being constructive instead.

I will try and blog more often from now on, sharing my thoughts to try and help myself and others. I will just go with it! I have set up a Patreon account to set myself on a path to financial self-sufficiency: https://www.patreon.com/DavidoHereHeIs. Feel free to help me out if you enjoy my work. Thank you for reading.

Love from David x

 

 

From Corbyn to Trump: Are we voting for illusions and backwardness?

I scoured the library reading list the other day, as I often do, and found myself cluing up on the 1992 US election campaign in which Bill Clinton scored a thumping win in the Electoral College for the Democrats. This is the kind of thing I do when I feel intellectually out of depth and detached from world events, as happened last Wednesday (thanks Donald). I came across the following paragraph when reading a chapter on the psychology and rhetoric of the 1992 election:

“Charisma is not the property of individuals. It is a system, a lock-and-key-fit between leaders with particular personality qualities and ideal-hungry followers that occurs at moments of historical crisis. Sometimes the political followers are so wounded, their yearning for a leader who will provide strong and confident leadership and rescue them so palpable, that they create a leader in their desired image. In these charismatic leader-follower relationships, the followers perceive the leader as superhuman, blindly believe the leader’s statements, unconditionally comply with his or her directives for action, and give that leader unqualified emotional commitment”1.

“A leader in their desired image”. I’m probably guilty of that. I voted Jeremy Corbyn twice for Labour leader because he seems to have the compassion I want to see in a political leader. Does his compassion make him right to lead the Labour party? I’m not sure. Perhaps I molded him within my imagination into a savior of British politics, as if our country needs saving in the first place (I’m not sure things are that bad). So here’s a guy who seems to get stuck in to important world issues, such as the Israeli-Palestinian discourse and climate change. But was I kidding myself? I read the stories before the second leadership election about Labour MPs complaining of inefficiency and an inability to do their jobs in the shadow government well. That was worrying, but perhaps I see the Labour party as a conglomeration of ideas, with Jeremy representing some of the best bits of its legacy and possibly its future. Hopefully inefficiency and malpractice can be ironed out and improved upon.

I could be completely wrong of course. Are the tens of millions who voted for Trump flawed too? Were they utterly wrong to vote for him? “Yearning for a leader in their desired image”? I’m not sure Donald is a leader. I think he has a vague vision for his Presidency based on growing the size of the U.S. economy and hoping good stuff happens from there. He wants to be show some kind of strength, that’s fine, but does he have “unqualified emotional commitment” from his followers? He’s said and allegedly done things that would destroy most political campaigns, at least in the civilized world. The wall for example. Or attitudes to women. He’s a change; a big ball of loud emotion that shouts vague things like “build a wall” and “make America great again”. He speaks with such slow passion, emphasizing every key word of his rhetoric, that it becomes hard not to be pulled in at least a little bit. I’ve thought to myself: “What if this guy is talking enough sense to warrant four years? What if he’s the next step? Is Hilary strong enough to be seen as better?” I think it all comes down to how you see progress being achieved in the world. Inhumane and mentally dysfunctional people taking the lives of human beings and targeting certain countries is a truth, but is Donald’s brutally emotive campaign the answer? I think you need to understand how people who want to do harm such as terrorists think, and then focus on creating effective policies that work in reality and actually ease or remove problems.

Problems such as stress-inducing working hours. I’m not sure Donald can improve the real lives of most Americans. Cutting taxes doesn’t necessarily result in the betterment of people’s homes, families and lives does it? It feels like Americans have opted for a another political fight. Their lawmakers and custodians of society are so split. How will the government affect hundreds of millions of lives for the better?

References

1.”The Clinton Presidency: Campaigning, Governing, and the Psychology of Leadership”. Westview Press (Oxford: 1995). pg 39.

 

Relationships Trump Hate and Fear. Reach out and touch faith.

When mysterious or scary forces flow and bite outside of your control, you can hold those close to you a little tighter. You can look loved ones in the eye and say “We’re going to be Ok”. Relationships can be a constant in life. Presidents and leaders come and go. Your values can stay the same and they can always be as good as make them. Somebody can ban you from entering into a certain collection of borders but they can’t make you a bad person. A law may ban you from wearing certain garments on your skin but it doesn’t have to change your internal culture. You can always try and wear a smile.

I’ve probably stated the obvious here but sometimes the obvious good stuff can take a back seat if you’re full of emotion or sadness. Empathy and compassion and love will never end, Presidencies will.

Paul Clement won on points, but not football

Recently-sacked Derby head coach Paul Clement had an excellent statistical record. He won 42.4% of his games as boss. Most football fans would be thrilled if their manager won almost half of their games. Especially in the Championship, the most competitive second-division in the world due to its intense, physical, tactical and technical prowess. Clement spent millions on players, but so do most teams in the Championship. It’s a playground for multi-millionaires who’d rather throw their chequebooks at the chance of promotion than buy Premier League teams that cost a fortune or six. Better to spend 3-10million on players with Championship experience or talent with silky-skills honed internationally. But what happens when everyone does it? The league is full of ex-Premiership sides with ex-Premiership players and the parachute payments to keep them. The only way to get promotion is to keep a settled side for two seasons with the same manager and budget that most Championship teams would be happy with, or ride on the momentum of victory in League One by adding a few astute signings. Derby have a fairly settled side. They’ve spent big but consistently influential players like Richard Keogh and Chris Martin have held down their places for years. Recent quality signings like Bradley Johnson would get in any Championship side. So why sack a statistically-successful head coach? Because of the “Derby Way”. Or the “West Ham Way”. They mean the same thing- attractive football with good results. Derby’s primary investor publicly backed Clement two weeks ago, but sacked him this week because the football on display soured.

I agree with the decision. As a Leeds fan. I’d much rather have a coach that’s prepared to work a team into exciting football then a Warnock-Allardyce hybrid willing to sell a kidney for three points. Points don’t mean prizes in English football anymore. Watching a team that wins a lot of the time yet does so in a boring way isn’t fun for fans, owners or players. Clement was sacked because his financer didn’t think he was taking his long-term plan of golden football seriously. Hes’ a very successful coach but I wouldn’t want him at my team unless he was prepared to invest in my footballing experience- show me youth players hungry to play and build a career, tough-tacklers who’d give their left legs to stop a goal. “It’s just like watching Brazil” is a song used occasionally at many grounds to signify a temporary switch from a war of attrition to art de la football. Teams like Blackpool that pour resources into a short-term vision of Saturday’s three points suffer in the long term. You can win, draw or lose Paul, but don’t sacrifice the beautiful from our glorious game.