Eating Disorders Awareness Week is coming on 21st – 26th of February and as part of this Adapt Eating Distress Association is launching a campaign, “Never Give up the Sun Will Shine Again”, to raise awareness of the growing problem of Eating Disorders within Northern Ireland.
With 1 in 4 people suffering with a mental health problem and 5- 10% of people suffering with an eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia, which has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, it is becoming more important to talk about these issues. Numbers are reaching an all time high and children as young as 8 being diagnosed with an eating disorder.
To tackle this Adapt, a Lurgan based eating disorders charity, are teaming up with fellow ED charities the Eating Disorder Association in Belfast and Family Eating Disorder Support in Newry to promote the services currently provided in Northern Ireland. For many years NI had no specialist services however with this campaign we hope to raise awareness to show those struggling with an Eating Disorder that there are specialist services now available in NI as well as support services through three major ED charities. For this EDAW we are inviting YOU to get involved and show your support for those suffering from ED’s, their family and friends. With a large number of people dealing with ED’s today it’s likely that you will know someone dealing with problems related to eating, body image and self esteem. We want to break down the stigma and take freely about eating disorders, the real effects of ED’s and bust a few myths about ED’s.
As part of this Eating Disorders Awareness Week we will be running workshops across February and beyond for young people, parents and anyone working with young people. We are offering an informal Q&A session in which Adapt aim to answer your questions about Everything You Wanted to Know about Eating Disorders but Were Too Afraid to Ask to help raise awareness about the issues surrounding Eating Disorders and to help distinguish the myths and stigma attached to Eating Disorders. To book a workshop please contact Una Foye on 02838347535 or email info@adapteatingdistress.com. Want to support us? We don’t want your money, all we are asking is for you to pledge your support by contacting us, follow us on twitter (@adapt_EDA), like us on Facebook (search for Adapt Eating Distress Association), email us on info@adapteatingdistress.com or call 02838347535 and tell us you are supporting our campaign. We will add you to our banner of support that will be posted our website and we can post out info, badges and leaflets for you. We will be making my way around NI to get photos of people supporting our cause; feel free to contact us to join this or simply download a poster from any of our websites or social networking sites and email us a picture of our logo in a famous location or with a group.
To get involved call Una on 02838347535 or email info@adapteatingdistress.com, or come along to our office 37 High Street.
Lark In The Park 2011 are proud to announce an exciting addition to this years festival at Moira, Demesne Park on April 29th – May 01st. One of the UK’s leading artists TINCHY STRYDER has been confirmed to play on Saturday April 30th, sharing the bill on the saturday with Razorlight.
Mandie Brankin from Lark In The Park 2011 commented “We are incredibly proud of the line up for Lark in The Park 2011 and want to make it as enjoyable for all those attending as possible, we would like to thank the public for all their support” Many before him have tried and failed; in April 2009 Tinchy Stryder became the first artist ever to reach number 1 in the official national singles charts with a song title featuring the phrase ‘number one’. A self-fulfilling prophecy personified? Well, he’s certainly living up to his music moniker ‘Star in the Hood’. Over the past six months, 23 year-old Tinchy has signed a recording deal with Island Records and has racked up three consecutive top 3 hits, ‘Take Me Back’ feat. Taio Cruz, released in January debuted at no 39 on downloads alone, the following week on it’s official release the single climbed 36 places to number 3, and maintained a Top 5 position for four weeks. In April, ‘Number 1’ feat. N-Dubz debuted at Number 1 and topped the UK charts for a whopping three weeks, this was followed in August by Tinchy’s second 1 single ‘Never Leave You’ featuring Amelle from the Sugababes. Tinchy Stryder, is undoubtedly one of the UK’s most exciting artists, The Independent recently said, “If Grime was the football world, Tinchy Stryder would be like your Michael Owens and Wayne Rooney’s of today.” He just completed a sold out arena tour in September 2009, which caused such a demand with fans that he has had to put a larger arena tour straight on for February 2010. Tinchy, real name Kwasi Danquah, was born in Ghana in 1986 and moved to East London at a young age. He was brought up and still lives in one of the capital’s most dangerous boroughs – Tower Hamlets; yet despite his tough upbringing he has a distinctly positive outlook on life and is determined to provide a positive role model for kids across the country. Having started making music, along with his group ‘Ruff Sqwad’, aged just 13 Tinchy has seen through the years the negative press that the music he loves has received and is on a mission to change this. He recently completed a degree in Digital Arts and Moving Imagery at University of East London. “It’s important to me to show that black males aren’t all about looking threatening and robbing your granny” Tinchy quips. “It’s not always easy growing up in an inner city area, wherever it is, but in my music I want to show people that you can take that experience and turn it into something positive.” “I guess my writing is pretty much from my life experience right now” says Tinchy. “That’s why I’ve focused a lot on the whole star in the hood thing – cos I’m still here – where I always have been, but now people know me, so I can’t always go the same places I used to be able to. I’m not in a rush to get out cos I know my area and I love it, but hopefully one day through my music I can.” By the age of 21, Tinchy was a seasoned MC on the grime and London pirate radio scene. One of the industry’s main players, Wiley of ‘Wearin’ my Rolex’ fame, crowned Tinchy the ‘Prince of Grime’. In 2006 he was booked by two forward thinking teenagers, Archie Lamb and Jack Foster to play one of their club nights they ran while at school; this meeting changed the course of his career. The three of them struck an immediate bond and Tinchy signed to their company Takeover – for management, live, recording, merchandise and publishing. Together they designed the ‘Star in The Hood’ T-shirts which they sold on myspace and ebay and the profits financed the promotion/marketing of Tinchy’s debut album Star In The Hood. It’s now a flourishing clothing line, which has just expanded into retail, with the kind of profit margins that would impress Phillip Green. The buzz surrounding ‘Stryderman’, one of the singles released from the album caught the attention of execs at Island records. Tinchy Stryder, Jack and Archie signed a joint venture with the major at the end of 2008. Having just released his major label debut, Catch 22, which went Gold within 2 weeks of release and just signing a joint venture deal with EMI Publishing alongside Takeover for a joint music publishing company allowing Tinchy Jack and Archie the opportunity to develop and invest in new talent, the future is looking extremely bright for Stryder. As 2010 draws near he embarks on pushing the boundaries of Star In The Hood clothing and entering into partnerships with some of the UK’s largest retailers, planning his all new fully live show and summer full of festivals whilst also beginning the recording process for his second major label album with a host of exciting collaborators including re-uniting with Fraser T Smith and working with some of the top US record producers and writers, Tinchy is feeling great about the new year, “I’m out to takeover the world this time round, for 2010 and beyond” he smiles. Tickets for Lark In The Park 2011 are available now at selected HMV stores and Online from HMVTickets.com For further information please visit www.larkinthepark-ni.com
Grief in American cinema often seems confined to the middle class. In The Bedroom, American Beauty and The Ice Storm are amongst the finest examples of loss and anger committed to film in recent years. The odd similarity is their setting; all affluent families struggling with grief, isolation and a bourgeois malaise. Are the working class invulnerable to sorrow? Or are we simply to believe that material wealth cannot buy happiness, hope or consolation?
Director John Cameron Mitchell follows two films of sex obsessed eccentricity (Shortbus, Hedwig and The Angry Inch) with a film devoid of any intimacy at all. Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) lost their four year old son Danny, 8 months ago in a blameless traffic accident. The family’s excitable dog chased a squirrel onto a road by the garden, Danny followed and was struck by a passing car – driven by local high school student Jason. The once happy family has been torn apart, painfully wounded by the tragic incident. Becca and Howie attend group therapy in at attempt to reconcile their guilt and trauma. The therapy only serves to further strain the troubled relationship. Howie desperately clings on to the memory of his son, watching old videos and obsessing over Danny’s paintings which still adorn the fridge. Becca seeks to remove any trace of Danny from her life; donating his old clothes to charity, convincing Howie to sell the house that is so full of memories and baking endlessly in an attempt to occupy her troubled mind.
Rabbit Hole is a successful character study and moving portrait of grief and loss. Fine lead performances are bolstered by an effective supporting cast (most notably Diane Wiest as Becca’s mother). The simmering, reserved behaviour of the leads threatens to boil over – but never really does. Despite one brief shouting match, feelings are mostly swept under the carpet. However, unlikely figures of solace and comfort slowly appear. Becca befriends Jason, the boy who killed her son. Howie smokes pot with Gaby, an eight year veteran of his trauma therapy group. Ultimately nothing much is resolved, how could it be?
It is difficult to look at the performances of Kidman and Eckhart in isolation. Whilst many of the scenes involving he grieving parents involve them being apart; each dealing with the loss in their own way – the dynamic of the relationship really dictates and influences how the other behaves. Like Blue Valentine, a movie in which the leads witness the death of a marraige – the actors are equal parts of a whole.
The restrained direction allows the actors to inhabit their roles without intrusion. The pristine home, beautiful neighbourhood and attractive leading couple act merely as a shiny veneer, thinly masking the turmoil bubbling underneath. Kidman’s Becca is difficult to warm to, sympathy mainly resides in Eckhart’s portrayal of Howie which conveys more sincere and relatable emotional reaction. The method by which grief is examined through two very different perspectives is both touching and jarring. The overall result is a film of opposites. Past and future, comfort and sorrow and most vividly – hope and despair. Often deeply affecting but unfortunately somewhat inconsistent in its delivery.
2011 : A Film Odyssey is the movie review site of Chris Vaughan.
Making plans for the Connect parents support group meeting, How having a Social Worker is a good thing’ on Weds 23rd February at Dromore Nursery School are Judith Clarke, Niamh Shiells and Sharon Beattie, principal at Dromore Nursery.
Local support group CONNECT is having an information and support evening for parents of children with additional educational and support needs. The group’s founders Judith Clarke and Niamh Shiells invite local parents to an informative meeting about the support a social worker can give parents at Dromore Nursery School, at 7.30 on the 23rd February 2011.
Niamh Shiells spoke about the theme for the evening, “There is a myth that having a social worker is a bad thing and in some way a judgment of you as a parent. We want to show our parents that this myth can be turned completely on its head. If you have a child with additional needs a social worker can be invaluable, someone who can help you to access grants, services and a whole package of support for your child.“
Judith Clarke says “We are very pleased to have Karen Edgar from Social Work Services for Children with Disability speaking at this meeting and Karen will outline the support that her department can offer parents with children with additional needs. The evening is also a great chance for parents to talk to and receive support from other parents who may have similar experiences.”
Sharon Beattie, principal at Dromore Nursery continues to offer vital support to this new group and commented, “We are so pleased that our local parents now have a growing support network that they can meet with, to share and seek information. We will continue to host these very positive meetings at Dromore Nursery.”
All parents and others interested are welcome to attend Dromore Nursery School, 23rd February, 7.30pm. Please contact Judith Clarke on 07764 200870 if you wish to attend or for more information about the group. You can also visit Connect on Facebook.
GLASGOWBURY were celebrating this week after picking up two awards at the annual Irish Festival Awards in Dublin.
The ‘Small But Massive’ festival was once again voted Ireland’s Best Family Festival and the Best Service provider.
Now in its third year, the annual Irish Festival Awards celebration acknowledges the hard work done by festivals up and down the country.
The local festival is also celebrating the added coup of holding both the family and service awards for the last three years in a row.
“A massive thanks has to go to all of Glasgowbury’s fans who took the time to vote for us,” said festival organiser Paddy Glasgow.
“We’re over the moon to have held on to two such excellent awards since 2008 and hope to continue with festival success for many more years to come.”
Plans for Glasgowbury 2011 are ongoing and announcements regarding line-up and tickets will be made shortly. See www.glasgowbury.com for more information.
Smart, low cost ways to quickly grow and sustain your business in any economy.
Are you ready to be a part of one of the most exciting business days of 2011? If you like to leave business events brimming with energy, feeling totally inspired with a ‘can do’ attitude and a notepad full of incredible ‘how to’ content, then The Event 2011 is exactly right for you and your business.
What is The Event 2011?
Quite simply The Event 2011will be the most awe inspiring business event of the year, overflowing with no/low cost strategies and techniques that will help you to make more money in your business. It is a world class, multi-speaker event, with two incredible speakers from the USA, as well as dynamic talks from successful business owners closer to home.
In short, this is exactly what the talented entrepreneurs of Northern Ireland have been waiting for: a high energy, uplifting, content-rich event that will really deliver and equip you with the skills, mindset and resources you need to make a difference!
Jairek Robbins
“Designing and Living Your Extraordinary Life and Business”
Having Jairek speak at this event is a real coup, an opportunity not to be missed. Focusing on mindset and motivation for business success, he helps people realise their business and personal potential.
After 11 years of studying the personal development industry and testing just about every strategy he could get his hands on (and not to mention 26 years growing up in the industry), Jairek is going to be sharing with you “WHAT WORKS!”
At ‘The Event 2011‘ Jairek will show you how to create a specific action plan in living your version of an Extraordinary Quality of Life and Business.
By the end of Jairek’s 90-min power packed talk, you will be inspired from his message and you will also have a real plan of action on how you’re going to go out and turn your dreams into reality!
Jairek is simply amazing!! I’m proud to say that he is my coach and he has inspired me to do far more than I ever believed I was capable of. This an incredible and unmissable opportunity to hear Jairek in Belfast.
Other Speakers on the day:-
Darren Gardiner
“If You Want To Be A Success, Do What Successful People Do”
Darren is an exceptional local success story who travels the world with his company LSFX.
LSFX are one of the UK’s top sound, lighting and AV installation and production companies. They cover the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. They offer a complete turnkey solution for any size or type of installation including: large hotel, large stadium, nightclub, house of worship, educational and leisure venues.
He is also a driving force behind Ground Espresso Bars, Northern Ireland’s very own chain of coffee houses.
Darren knows what it takes to be a success and will be sharing his experience and knowledge during this highly enjoyable, humorous and engaging presentation.
The easiest way to create a winner’s approach is to copy successful people. If you simply listen and apply Darren’s message, you’ll also be well on the way to your own success.
Colin Daymude
“Follow Up Failure is Killing Your Business”
Colin is the Director of Business Development at Infusionsoft, as well as being a highly sought after speaker and marketing expert.
Infusionsoft is the leader in Email Marketing 2.0. They combine powerful CRM software with email marketing and help small to medium businesses grow faster and smarter.
Colin is flying here exclusively for ‘The Event 2011‘ from the USA. This is a “one-off” opportunity to learn marketing and sales strategies from such an incredibly talented world class expert on business marketing.
Colin is going to share with you the latest leading edge concepts in marketing and sales strategies that are critical for success in this economy.
This is going to be an amazing presentation from a global authority, that will provide you with easy to use strategies and techniques exclusively for SME business growth. This is a presentation that is a must attend – put simply, you will discover how to make more money!
Zoe Cairns – “Why Businesses Should Be Using Social Media”
Zoe is known as the “Queen of Social Media” and will show you how to market your business online and generate free traffic.
Many business owners are already using social media sites to promote their business but very few know how to maximise the effectiveness of them.
Zoe will demonstrate how to fully exploit the capabilities of these forums. In other words, you will learn invaluable methods of promoting your business and generating sales at no cost.
She will show you automation tools, twitter tools and lots of different strategies, tips and techniques on how you can create your presence online and build your brand awareness on the internet.
Zoe has many ways in which she will show you how to drive more traffic to your websites and blogs!!!!
Based in England, this speaker is in constant demand for her knowledge, at a range of top business events.
The largest businesses in the world are now utilising social media to create brand awareness, customer loyalty and gain sales. This is your opportunity to learn the secrets they are using so you too can make money from social media.
Simon Smith “Networking and Referrals Are The Lifeline to Success”
Simon is a seriously professional networker, and as the Managing Area Director for BNI (Business Networking International) in Northern Ireland, helps business owners become experts in word-of-mouth marketing.
Simon is incredibly successful at teaching business owners how to network and create referral business.
During his presentation he will discuss the importance and benefits of effective business networking, including: the value of referrals; the opportunities created by establishing rapport with other business owners and service providers, and the advantages of extending one’s business profile in their local area.
Simon is also going to be adding a unique twist on networking during his presentation.
This unique twist will be great fun, you will make great connections and you will have the opportunity of winning a fantastic prize!!
Great networkers make great leaders because they have unlocked the potential of networking in their busy lives. They have created simple systems that enable them to connect with others, stay connected and create valuable lifetime connections with key players, spheres of influence and other master networkers. You too can begin to gain these valuable skills during Simon’s powerful presentation.
To book your place on The Event 2001 click HERE. Early bird tickets are available but limited.
Businesses across Belfast are being urged to apply for the Belfast Business Awards as soon as possible as the closing date for entries is two weeks away. Belfast City Council will host the prestigious event in the City Hall on Thursday 14 April with 21 awards up for grabs in recognition of the fine work of business enterprises, retail outlets and businessmen and women from across the city. The Belfast Business Awards are supported by Belfast City Centre Management (BCCM) and Victoria Square is the principal sponsor of the awards this year. The closing date for entries is on Friday 18 February. Calling on businesses to enter the awards are Councillor Conor Maskey. Chairman of Belfast City Council’s Development Committee, Hugh Black from Victoria Square and Andrew Irvine from Belfast City Centre Management.
Businesses across Belfast are being urged to apply for the Belfast Business Awards as soon as possible as the closing date for entries is two weeks away.
Belfast City Council will host the prestigious event in the City Hall on Thursday 14 April with 21 awards up for grabs in recognition of the fine work of business enterprises, retail outlets and businessmen and women from across the city. The Belfast Business Awards are supported by Belfast City Centre Management (BCCM) and Victoria Square is the principal sponsor of the awards this year.
The closing date for entries to the awards is on Friday 18 February. Among the awards’ categories are ‘Best New Business’, ‘Best Green Business’, ‘Best International Trade Business’, ‘Best Creative Business’ and ‘Best Manufacturing Business’. Accolades will also be bestowed for the ‘Best City Hotel’ in Belfast, the ‘Best Restaurant’, ‘Best Café/Coffee Shop’. This year there will also be three new categories – the ‘Customer Service Excellence in the Professional Service Award’, the ‘Embracing the Belfast Brand Award’ and the ‘Belfast Champion Award’.
Councillor Conor Maskey, Chairman of Belfast City Council’s Development Committee, said: “The Belfast Business Awards will give local businesses a unique opportunity to gain recognition for the excellent contribution they make towards the overall development of our city.
“I would call on businesses from across the city to get their entries in for the awards as soon as they possibly can. Simply getting though to the final will raise an organisation`s profile amongst its peers but just as important is the huge boost it will give to internal morale. To win an award will be a mark of quality that will bring real prestige to that individual business.”
Hugh Black, Centre Manager of Victoria Square, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the prestigious Belfast Business Awards as lead sponsor, following the success of the previous year`s awards. These awards are unique in recognising and presenting businesses with the opportunity to gain recognition for the excellent contribution they make towards the overall development of our city.”
The Grand Opera House won two awards at the Belfast Business Awards last year – the Best Marketing Initiative and the Best Innovative Use of IT awards.
Paul Coleman, Digital Marketing Manager with the Grand Opera House, said: “The Belfast Business Awards were a tangible recognition of the hard work undertaken by the theatre’s marketing team and reaffirmed the venue’s standing among local arts organisations and the wider business community.
“Since winning the awards, the Grand Opera House has secured a new principal sponsor, due in part to the credibility that came with winning the Best Marketing Initiative, given the standard of entries in this category. The awards evening also presented a fantastic networking opportunity and many lasting business relationships were formed at the event.”
The closing date for entries to the Belfast Business Awards 2011 is Friday 18 February 2011. Entry forms can be obtained from the official website www.belfastbusinessawards.com or by contacting 028 9024 2111.
Tickets are now on sale for the black-tie Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on Thursday 14 April at Belfast City Hall. For bookings, please contact the enquiry line on 028 9024 2111.
Awakin Digital Publishing are excited to say that they’ve launched ‘Go Explore NI’ – a free smartphone app, which is an excellent opportunity to get out and enjoy the quality tourism experiences available in NI – we’re actually ‘Giving Away’ our award winning content in time to support marketing and promotion of NI globally in the run up to 2012. Additionally, our partnership with Whatsonni.com, aims to connect locally and ensure folks get a chance to download this experience while it’s free!
We’re providing ‘The Ultimate Road Racers Tour’ via the app to tweak the interest and get folks excited prior to the Relentless NorthWest 200 in May of this year. The digital tour is of exceptional quality and was originally created to celebrate Armoy’s famous Road Racers. It uses classic footage from the Film ‘Road Racers’ as well as new material and interviews – It’s a must have download for Bike enthusiasts or indeed anyone wishing to understand the local scene as it charts the rise of Joey Dunlop and the famous Armoy Armada and looks in great detail at their many special facets. These include their many Achievements, World Renown, Camaraderie, Innovation and Ingenuity. It’s completely free to download to your smartphone for the next few months thanks to sponsorship from Bayview Hotel Portballintrae and Awakin Digital Publishing. We hope visitors will enjoy these free experiences and get out and ‘Go Explore!’
Other benefits within the app come from support we’ve given to the key Tourist Information centres in Belfast and in Derry/Londonderry in return for discounts for our users who can get up to 15% discount when they present the app when purchasing a good or service.
Here are some recent comments from Industry representatives via social media:
NITB Business Tourism Unit Great idea!! Perfect for conference delegates or business visitors who want to make the most of their trip to NI. ‘All work and no play….’ and all that!!
Tourism Ireland Great idea! Now there are iphone apps available for sightseeing in Ireland so you don’t have to worry about guide books or maps!
So what are you waiting for – Let’s Go Explore NI!
For download information and links visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/GoExploreNI or search “Go Explore” in the appstore for iphone or android.
Lark in the Park 2011 is Northern Ireland’s ultimate outdoor music festival with camping. Located in the idyllic Moira, Demesne Park only twenty minutes from Belfast across bank holiday weekend, Friday April 29th – Sunday May 01st 2011, featuring FIVE stages and world renowned headlining acts 2011 promises to be the biggest and best year yet. Ivor Novello award winning rock band ATHLETE headline Friday night whilst indie favourites RAZORLIGHT occupy the prestigious Saturday night headlining slot. The perfect end to the perfect weekend comes on Sunday night with Northern Irelands very own THE DIVINE COMEDY and UK favourites GET CAPE. WEAR CAPE. FLY on main support. With a host of local talent spread across all five stages and an indoor Dance Arena this event promises to be the stand out event of the year.
The festival includes a wide range of activities to keep any music fan entertained all weekend long. In addition to our headliners Lark in the Park 2011 boasts an awesome line up of over 80 bands, Dance Arena, an overnight Silent Disco, Continental Market, Funfair, Boutique, Family Camping and Kids Area, Beer Festival and much much more!
Lark In The Park 2011 prides itself on providing an incredibly diverse span of entertainment for all ages at an affordable price.
Tickets on sale Friday, February 04th @ 9am from HMV Stores in Northern Ireland and Online at http://www.hmvtickets.com/larkinthepark/events/1691
Ticket prices:
Day Tickets – £40
(Per day, Under 16’s must be accompanied by full paying adult aged 21 and over)
Weekend Camping Ticket – £99
(Permits One Adult, three Day Camping + festival admission)
Family Camping Ticket – £198
(Permits two Adults + three Children aged17 years and under, separate family camping area)
Welcome to our movie review of the week. This week Chris has reviewed the Kings Speech for your reading pleasure.
Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham-Carter, Guy Pearce
(****) 4/5
“The King’s Speech”; Tom Hooper’s latest oscar-baiting film tells a familiar tale of triumph in the face of adversity, elevated to the lofty realms of regality. Colin Firth is perfectly cast as Albert; his immaculate English reserve and stiff upper lip craft a warm and likable character. Albert ascends to the throne as George VI, in place of his brother David (Guy Pearce) who abdicates in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. The film opens with Albert addressing a crowd of many thousands at Wembley Stadium, he struggles to deliver the words the to an eager and expectant crowd. His crippling stammer is both hugely frustrating and a constant source of shame for the Duke of York. His wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham-Carter) looks on with a familiar pity. The voice of The King, especially in times of political instability and war, is vital in maintaining the faith of his subjects.
Firth inhabits the character of Albert with all the guile and subtlety that only an actor of his quality can. He characterises ‘Bertie’ with a short fuse and gentle vulnerability. Creeping insecurities borne from a childhood of teasing and torment. He has worked with the best speech therapists in hope of curing his condition. Physical therapy does not seem to be working. His loving wife Elizabeth comes across an intriguing character, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) – an Australian who claims to have a revolutionary and unique method of treating the condition. The relationship between the two is initially cold, with Bertie (as Logue insists on calling Albert, much to his annoyance) unsure of his approach. Logue tackles the emotional impact of Albert’s troubled childhood, and insists that the root of the problem is psychological and not physical.
The relationship between the two develops wonderfully throughout the film, the initial wariness and doubt of Logue’s practices soon abate – allowing an unlikely bromance to form. An enduring friendship that would last many years. Whilst witnessing Albert’s fight against his inner demons, an unlikely parallel crept into my mind: Rocky. The relationship between Albert and Lionel is broadly similar to that of Rocky and his trainer Mickey. Logue instills belief in the anxious monarch. He spars with Bertie throughout, jabbing and prodding to provoke self-acceptance and confidence. This new found certainty allows Albert to assume the role his father always hoped he would.
The emergence of radio broadcasting in the film mirrors the current technological revolution of today. The British Monarchy now has a Facebook page, showing their willingness to embrace modern methods of communication. The touching affects of Albert’s struggle and rise to the throne shape an uplifting story of human spirit, told in parallel as an involving history lesson.
Director Tom Hooper has scaled heights similar to his subject; from directing Byker Grove and Eastenders to a surefire Oscar nominated performance. His story is fully developed and visually beautiful, he makes full use of the grand backdrops and setting to wonderfully frame his images with opulent palaces and stately residences. The banter between Albert and Lionel is always witty and allows for an unexpected source of comedy. The film is occasionally very funny and the dialogue is consistently well written. An A-list cast of British supporting players rounds off the movie well, allowing the burden of focus to shift from Albert and Lionel’s odd-couple. Timothy Spall plays Winston Churchill, Michael Gambon is the ailing King George V (Albert’s father) while Derek Jacobi is Archbishob Cosmo Lang.
“The King’s Speech” is a well crafted drama of high quality. It is certain to garner Colin Firth an Oscar nomination and probably his first Academy Award. Characters who overcome personal defects to ultimately triumph are traditionally favourites of the Academy, most recent Best Actor awards have gone to characters with some form of affliction. Firth is likely to continue this trend.
2011 : A Film Odyssey is the movie review site of Chris Vaughan.
Eating Disorders Awareness Week is coming on 21st – 26th of February and as part of this Adapt Eating Distress Association is launching a campaign, “Never Give up the Sun Will Shine Again”, to raise awareness of the growing problem of Eating Disorders within Northern Ireland.
