Superhero Movies Are Ruining Cinema, Says Exorcist Director

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William Friedkin, the US director who made the Oscar-winning movies The Exorcist and The French Connection, is dismissive about the flood of superhero and sci-fi movies that have taken over today’s box office.

 

“Films used to be rooted in gravity. They were about real people doing real things,” the acclaimed 79-year-old filmmaker told AFP on the sidelines of Champs-Elysees Film Festival in Paris.

 

The director said on June 16, “Cinema is all about Batman, Superman, Iron Man, Avengers, Hunger Games in America; all kinds of stuff that I have no interest in seeing at all.”

 

The race by studios to appeal to the broadest audience possible is why his own movies fell out of favour after his peak in the 1970s, he admitted.

 

“That is when my films went like that, out of the frame,” the director added.

 

Mr Friedkin said he saw the change happen in 1977 when he made what he considered his best movie , the largely ignored Sorcerer, about four men transporting a cargo of nitroglycerin in South America, only to see it eclipsed by the huge hit of that year Star Wars.

 

Now he reckons “the best work” for directors is on television, on US cable and video-on-demand services that produce quality series such as True Detective and House of Cards. The shift to those outlets, he said, is the “new zeitgeist”.

 

“You develop character at a greater length and the story is more complex and deeper than cinema,” said The Exorcist director.

 

“Many of the fine filmmakers of today are going to long form TV. It is the most welcoming place to work for a director today,” he further added.

 

The director is looking to ride that wave, and is working on a script for the HBO cable network about Mae West, the American sex symbol and entertainer counted as one of Hollywood’s biggest ever stars. He has spoken to Bette Midler about playing the part.

 

He is also looking at turning another of his big films, To Live and Die in LA, into a TV series, with different characters and plot.

 

Good vs evil

If his past work serves as inspiration for what he’s doing today, it’s in no small part due to the fact that he has long been fascinated by the timeless theme of good versus evil.

 

“Most of my films are about the thin line between good and evil that exists in everyone,” he said.

 

“I believe that within all of us, there is a good side and a dark side. And it’s a constant struggle to have your good side triumph over the dark side. And sometimes people don’t and lose control of themselves,” he said.

 

Although his NYC-cop-in-France movie The French Connection and the demon possession drama The Exorcist made him a star director at the time, his later films never scaled such heights.

 

But the The French Connection director resisted going back and doing the sequels to his masterpieces, saying it would have been purely about the money.

 

“I am not interested in making movies just for the pay cheque,” Mr Friedkin said, adding, “I have to love the film, the story, the characters.”

 

His movie The Exorcist “was enough,” he said. “There were four sequels to The Exorcist and I’ve seen none of them; nor do I want to or intend to.”

 

Likewise, with 1971′s The French Connection, which starred Gene Hackman and won five Oscars, “there was nothing more that could be said”.

 

That demurral didn’t stop the production of a 1975 sequel, also with Hackman and directed by John Frankenheimer, who notably made the original The Manchurian Candidate.

 

The Killer Joe director, however, placed Sorcerer well above The Exorcist and The French Connection as he looked over his half-century career and 20 films.

 

Sorcerer, starring Roy Scheider, was the one that emerged closest to his original vision, he said, and dealt with a theme that he holds dear – fate.

 

“If I am remembered at all for anything, I hope it would be that,” said the director.

 

Categories: added nbsp, Connection, director, director nbsp, exorcist, exorcist director, films, french connection, nbsp

Yes, it’s Possible! How To Improve Your Mental Health

 

Good mental health is vital to your overall wellness, but what exactly does that mean? Being mentally healthy means you can function during everyday life, have a sense of wellbeing and you feel confident to rise to a challenge when the opportunity arises. It may sound weird to suggest that you can improve your mental health but, just like your physical health, there are steps you can take to become more mentally healthy. So, how can you improve your mental health and be ready for whatever life throws your way?

 

1. Connect with Others: As John Donne wrote “No man is an island.” People need people, and that’s just the way it works. The quality of your personal relationships will have a major impact on your wellbeing, and so it’s important to develop and maintain strong relationships with people around you who will support and enrich your life. Putting time and effort into building strong relationships can bring great rewards.

 

2. Take Time to Enjoy Life: Life can be so busy that just finding time to work, look after your kids and take care of daily chores can be a struggle. However, life isn’t just about getting from one day to the next; it’s about living so you need to take time to enjoy it. Set aside time for activities, hobbies and projects you enjoy so that you make sure you actually do it. That said, don’t be afraid to be spontaneous. If the urge takes you, do a crossword; take a walk in your local park; read a book; sew a quilt; draw pictures with your kids; play with your pets – whatever takes your fancy.

 

3. Share Your Interests: This tip incorporates the best of both worlds; connecting with others and enjoying life. If you have an interest or hobby you’d like to pursue but your friends and family aren’t really that bothered by it, join a club or group of people who share your interests. Not only does this enable you to explore the thing you enjoy; being part of a group of people with a common interest provides a sense of belonging and is good for your mental health. Whether you join a sports club; a band; an evening walking group; a dance class; a theatre or choir group; a book club or car club, there is a group out there that likes the things you like.

 

4. Contribute to Your Community: In the words of Mark Twain, ‘The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up,’ so volunteer your time for a cause or issue that you care about. Whether you just do something nice for a friend or you work in a community garden, there are many great ways to contribute that can help you feel good about yourself and your place in the world. According to Professor Cary Cooper, an occupational health expert at the University of Lancaster, ‘Helping people who are often in situations worse than yours will help you put your problems into perspective. The more you give, the more resilient and happy you feel.’

 

5. Take Care of Yourself: There’s a close connection between physical and mental wellness, so make sure that you eat well and get plenty of exercise. It’s easier to feel good about life if your body feels good, and a combined healthy diet and exercise programme can help you feel good inside and out. You don’t have to go to the gym to exercise – gardening, vacuuming, dancing and bushwalking all count.

Categories: Connection, hobbies, volunteer

Could An Unhealthy Relationship Literally Break Your Heart?

It’s obvious how relationship problems can affect family wellness, but you may not be aware how your relationship with your partner affects your personal health. Relationship distress can interfere with your immune system and hormones, delay healing and even affect your mental health with depression and anxiety. According to a lot of studies, good relationships are beneficial to wellness, and can create a stronger sense of happiness. Unhealthy relationships, however, can damage your emotional and physical wellbeing. The question is; are you experiencing the signs of an unhealthy relationship?

 

1. Touch hunger: Clinical psychologist Dr Sue Johnson, author of Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love, explains that we Westerners are ‘the world’s least tactile people, we hold, hug, pat, stroke, fondle and caress each other much less often than do other folks. Psychologists have suggested that we suffer from “touch hunger” and that this is just one of the signs of our ongoing loss of connection and community.’ This lack of connection can be even more damaging when you feel it in context of your significant relationships, so maybe it’s time to get a little more touchy-feely.

 

2. Isolation within relationships: ‘The sense of isolation is a pivotal concern in love relationships,’ says Dr Johnson, who argues that touch hunger, or not feeling safe enough to touch a loved one, shows this deprivation of emotional connection at its most obvious. Dr Johnson comments, ‘The new science of love tells us that feeling a sense of connection to another is the deepest and most pressing need we have as human beings. Our social brain codes this connection as safety, and touch is the most obvious route into this safety.’ Loving touches releases oxytocin – the cuddle hormone – in your brain and turns on your mind’s reward centres, which makes you feel recognised, significant, relaxed, comforted or even aroused. As oxytocin counters cortisol – the stress hormone – this shows just how important physical and emotional connection is in weathering the stresses and strains of life.

 

3. The (literal) heartbreak rejection: According to Dr Johnson, ‘Partners speak about the pain of rejection or abandonment in terms of life and death. This is not because they are immature or too needy. It is because emotional isolation is traumatic, reminding us of our essential vulnerability in a world teeming with danger.’ When you feel emotionally alone or in hostile a situation within your relationship, research shows that this elevates your blood pressure, stress hormone levels, heart disease risk and risk of death from a major cardiac event. It turns out a bad relationship can really break your heart! Dr Johnson adds, ‘The quality of our love relationships is a big factor in how mentally and emotionally healthy we are. Conflict with, and hostile criticism from, our loved ones increase our self-doubts and create a sense of helplessness, classic triggers for depression.’

 

So that’s how an unhealthy relationship can affect your health, but how do you make things better? It’s normal to go through phases of feeling disconnected to the one you love, but if this separateness causes you to become more withdrawn, hostile or hurtful to one another, this can destroy your relationship as well as your health, and you need to take measures to bring you and your partner closer. Dr Johnson recommends reaching out to your loved one and asking to be held, perhaps with the help of couples’ therapy. ‘The couple therapy I do is a tested, cutting edge approach to healing a love relationship,’ she says. ‘The powerful outcomes it achieves seem to hinge on a couple’s ability to shape a “hold me tight” conversation, where each partner can reach for the other, be held and hold in return.’

Categories: Connection, dr johnson, emotional connection, heart health, Isolation, johnson, relationship, Relationships, stress hormone, Touch Hunger, unhealthy relationship

Influence, Passion, Connection: What You Need in a Mentor

If you’re looking for a mentor, you need to identify people who are real influences in your field of business, passionate about what they do, and easy to connect with. This is according to a panel at the Institute for Supply Management annual conference in Texas, made up of mentors and mentees in purchasing and supply, who gave advice on the best ways to boost wellness in a mentoring relationship.

Bill Dempsey was one such panel member. As the vice president of global procurement at Shire Pharmaceuticals, Dempsey has been both mentored, and a mentor in his career and he noted that, most importantly of all, you have to find someone you can make a connection with. ‘One thing I say is find people who are influential in the business,’ he said. ‘I don’t necessarily mean chief-level or senior vice presidents – there are influential people who are managers, specialists, directors and vice presidents. Find people who have a passion for the company and where it is headed.’

When it comes to approaching your prospective mentor, make sure to keep it informal. Dempsey explained, ‘I tell my team not to approach them by saying “I want to establish a mentor/mentee relationship with you”. If it is someone who is influential, see if they will meet you for a coffee or lunch and spend half an hour talking about career development and then see if you connect. If you just don’t connect at the end of the half an hour, it’s easy to say “I really appreciate it” and you can walk away. To me, to “connect” means you have some mutual interests and the conversation flows pretty easily. Maybe it is a similar “outside of work” activity or passion for your area. You sort of know when you have it.’

When asked if mentors should try to get something out of the relationship as well, Ron Schnur, vice president dairy supply and operations at WhiteWave Foods and Dempsey’s mentor, answered, ‘I don’t go into it with goals. I have enjoyed a great career in supply chain over the past 25 years and part of it is giving back to the profession, organisation and young people. Back in the day when I started at Chrysler, I stood on the shoulders of a lot of people, and one of the things I have to do today is allow people to stand on my shoulders.’

Influence, Passion, Connection: What You Need in a Mentor

Categories: Connection, Influence, Mentoring