I caught up with Nige at 3.50 pm in Manchester and at 3.55pm we were sitting in the Cornerhouse Cinema, watching an Irish Indie film Kisses (2008). Growing up next door to each other on a rough estate, 13-year-old Dylan (Shane Curry) and 11-year-old Kylie (Kelly O'Neill) have always been close, bonding over the harsh treatment dished out by their respective families. After narrowly escaping his father's fists one day, Dylan and Kylie hop on a canal barge and sail into the city centre, swearing that they'll never return home again.
I suspect that director and writer Lance Daly, wanted to produce a slightly whimsical fantasy that has something profound to say about the simplicity and needs within childhood, and in part he succeeds thanks primarily to the naturalistic performances, timing and chemistry of his young leads. The pouting. foul mouthed, and incredibly pretty O'Neill is especially good as the spunky, optimistic heroine, .
The problem with Kisses, is that we have seen it all before -and I am talking about the rubbish strewn landscape, the depressing black and white photography and drunken violent parent stereotypes- I didn't really find the whole thing original, which was a pity.
I know that tales of Working class physical and sexual abuse are not easy to watch, even though the tender love story does shine through all of the inner city angst; but having said all that, the direction of two key sequences (the attack on Shane by his father and an abduction attempt of Kylie by paedophiles, are wonderfully tense, and would indicate that Lance Daly would be better off directing a thriller or action film rather than this downbeat love story.
7/10
After the cinema we had a drink in a pub on the way back to Heaton Chapel, then chatted for the rest of the night over pizza and wine.
I returned to Wales this morning on the awful arriva train coastal service, which for some reason seems to attract the true dregs of trailer trash society.
The carriages always seem to be crammed to the gunnells with track suited, beer swilling, rude ,bickering louts and I always think that these train journeys resemble something from the wild West rather than a so called semi rural train service! And all this actually occurs before 10 am!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyhow,I just about survived the Jerry Springer train journey only to be pampered and cossetted by the genteel surroundings of the Prestatyn Flower show , which opened this morning.
I was excited to see that I won a first place for my Marrow!, and a third place for my cauliflower (which was a bit of a bummer) my jams and vegetable trug, unfortunately were not placed. (which was a shame) Janet won a first for her orchids and Ann won second place for her floral art! Chris and I will go down to the show tomorrow to give all the entries a detailed review. Hopefully the weather will be brighter then, the weather this morning has been truly atrocious
The heavens opened yet again, just as I got onto the field to feed the pigs (it has been raining off and on all morning), and I have never experienced so much heavy rain all at once.The pigs scattered to the warmth of their sty, and all the hens disappeared within seconds. Kate Winslett darted for the cover of her small broody coop with the chicks desperately in tow as it lashed down and the brook on the far side of the field burst its banks for a short period as the run off from the fields channelled through the mud filled ditchI hurried over to the ditch to check on the ducks who have just recently gotten into the habit of bathing in the shallow water, only to find one lone female stranded in the swirling water! inches from the dump drain. She looked frightened and tired and was caught up in mud,and tree branches that had been washed down the stream by the floodwater.
I clambered down the narrow bank (with water tipping merrily over into my wellies) and somehow grabbed her by one wing just as the poor girl disappeared under the water! I couldn't quite believe that by a fluke of fate I was in the right place at the right time to save her.........
