5 minute read
Culture
FILM OF THE MONTH
Decision To Leave (15)
Advertisement
KINOKULTURE CINEMA, OSWESTRY.
14 AND 15 DECEMBER, WWW.KINOKULTURE.ORG.UK
South Korean cinema had a moment in the sun back in 2020 with the success of ‘Parasite’. Acclaimed romantic mystery, ‘Decision to Leave’, should repeat that. When a climber is found dead at the foot of a mountain, his widow seems not to care. Police detective Hae-joon suspects foul play and begins an investigation that turns into an obsessive courtship. The premise of a detective falling for a suspect is nothing new, fi lms from ‘Basic Instinct’ through to ‘Out of Sight’ explore similar ground, but few explore it with this level of technique and imagination. Korean director Park Chanwook is known for his precise staging, setting many of his scenes to look more like beautiful paintings than fi lm. He focuses on seemingly unimportant details which come back later, taking on new signifi cance as the fi lm continues, even fi nding tenderness and intimacy in police procedures like DNA swabbing. Everything, from the sound design to the editing, even the opening credits, will be thought through with an attention to detail rarely found. If you liked ‘Parasite’ or enjoy the kind of thriller that exercises the head and the heart, you won’t fi nd better. Give yourself a present and watch ‘Decision to Leave’, it’ll be the best thing you see in December.
LIKE THIS? TRY ‘STOKER’, ‘Decision to Leave’ director Park Chanwook’s hugely overlooked 2013 psychodrama, with a career best performance from Matthew Goode and a star turn from Nicole Kidman. When 18-year-old India Stoker’s father is killed in a car crash, she meets his mysterious brother Charlie for the fi rst time at the funeral. Before long, Charlie has moved into the family’s mansion and brings out a side to India she never knew existed. As both mother and daughter compete for his attention, we discover Charlie may not be the sophisticated gent he appears. All of the director’s trademarks are here with moments of beauty among the bloodshed. Simply superb. Available to stream. By Michael Hudson from Oswestry Film Society.
Ghost Stations
BY BRUCE BARRYMORE HALPENNY
Seeing as we have quite a military history surrounding Oswestry, have you ever wanted to go out and explore the old patches and look for clues?
Having grown up on RAF bases, I’m familiar with some of the ghost stories and they will have the hairs on your neck standing on end! I also experienced something as a young teenager that I’ve never been able to explain at RAF Scampton and I certainly never forgot it. Written in the 80’s and onwards, these books by Halpenny may seem ‘old’ but the stories are still very much alive today and they don’t change! The author served in the RAF himself and went on to become a military historian, and expert in arms and all types of security.
Tales of ghostly animals and people going about their business on the bases and walking amongst the living, it’s quite creepy really but unsurprising given all the activity that’s taken place over the years.
If you like something a bit spooky and you are interested in military history, this could really get your attention. There’s not just one volume but a few to get hold of which should keep you going. Available from eBay and www.abebooks.co.uk
POETRY
Now I’m 64
BY DAVE ANDREWS The spritely man I used to be has gone, I have to take the stairs now one by one, It’s many years since I could touch my toes, There’s hair protruding from my ears and nose. My hearing’s not quite what it used to be, I need these reading specs to help me see, My voice may crack, my temples have turned grey, I’ve wrinkles, sags and blotches on display. But I’m still Dave! It’s me behind this skin! The change is on the outside not within. My story carries on inside my brain, I’m still a youthful dreamer in the main. Remember I’ve been young, although you can No longer see the boy inside the man.
Books to give and receive
Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver
Demon Copperhead looks set to cement Barbara Kingsolver’s reputation as one of the best authors of our time. In this modern-day reimaging of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfi eld, the ‘Demon’ of the title is born to a single, drug-addicted mother in poverty-stricken Virginia. At every turn, the odds are stacked against him, from the broken care system to the lack of job opportunities and his own sense of worth. Raw, angry, starkly beautiful, this book is an absolute masterpiece.
Good Comfort – Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Healthy recipes tend to focus on what to leave out – whether the focus is on cutting carbs, ditching meat or reducing fat. With Good Comfort, the focus is on what to add to make a meal or snack more nutritious (and more delicious). Think lamb tagine with apricots and chickpeas, pork ribs with fennel slaw, and hot chocolate with raw cacao powder, oak milk, brown sugar and cardamom pods.
Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II – Robert Hardman
Published before her death, Queen of Our Times provides a fascinating insight into our longest-reigning monarch. Incredibly detailed and impeccably researched, this book is a must for biography fans, history lovers and royalists alike. You’ll read insights from people who knew the Queen well, including former world leaders, and be treated to a range of black and white and colour photographs from throughout the Queen’s life.
The Big Christmas Bake – Fiona Barker and Pippa Curnick
This sweet little children’s book takes inspiration from the Twelve Days of Christmas song. On each day, animals (from the traditional partridge to dancing hippos) bring one ingredient to make a very special cake. Colourful illustrations and amusing rhymes mean this book could well turn into a new Christmas favourite. Plus, there’s a recipe at the end so families can make their own twelfth night cake.
Candles, reed diffusers, wax melts, hand and body lotions & room sprays
STORE NOW OPEN AT 32-36 WILLOW STREET, OSWESTRY, SY11 1AD
View and purchase our products online at www.oswaldstreecandles.co.uk Facebook Oswald’s Tree Candle Co. Instagram @oswaldstreecandles Tiktok @oswaldstreecandleco
