Reinvention Is Better Than Cure

The Road Not Taken

By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveller, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.

They say that when it comes to destiny you often don’t get to choose the path your life eventually heads into, but that it chooses you.  Somewhere along the way, if you are that diligent, you take stock and realise there’s been a constant theme, one that seems to repeats itself, over and over.

Often, at first, you don’t seem to recognise it. Perhaps ignorance plays its blissful self. But when you are confronted head-on with what you chose not to see and you realise it’s been there all along, staring you straight in the eye, there’s no way denying what you deep down already suspected for a very long time.

And that is that this repetition of events is not the result of some unseen force coercing your life into a certain direction, no, you are stuck, like a broken record, spinning around in one place to the tune only You have chosen for yourself every step of the way.

Upon this possible life-altering realisation, there is one of two things you can do:

One, seek an alternative way of living and pursue it diligently, or two, accept who and what your Maker seemingly made you and then stick to your guns.

  If your name is Michael Gordon Peterson a.k.a ‘Charles’ or ‘Charlie Bronson’ as he fondly refers to himself, you’ll definitely stick with guns and make peace with the fact that you were always meant to be Britain’s most notorious and violent career criminal.

In the movie ‘Bronson’ Tom Hardy plays the villainous Charlie Bronson, a man who in his own mind is no rebel without cause. There seems to be no end or limitations to his nefarious creativity and his calling, no matter how secular you and I might think it to be, is to one-up the 
 state and the system it represents at any cost and at every possible opportunity. 

  But our black marketeer is no Robin Hood either, stealing from the rich to hand out the spoils to the poor. No sir. There’s only one rule Charlie adheres to and that’s – each man for himself, precisely how this delinquent lawbreaker likes it.

The story follows him and his illustrious career as a specialist of violence in several of Britain’s penitentiaries.  But the vigorous attempts of the authorities to try to rehabilitate old Charlie proves more often than none to be an exercise in futility than anything else.

Due to his seemingly incurable maniacal nature, at one time he is sent to an institution for the criminally insane. Here they have a very different approach to dealing with tough customers as himself and instead of handing out beatings and prolonged periods in isolation, syringes full of tranquilisers are jabbed into his bottom, keeping our boy nice and relaxed - the way they believe he is meant to be.

Being too relaxed for his own liking, Charles, yet again, works out a way of making the system work for him before he unleashes his old fiery self onto his foes.

Out of desperation they release him, now classified as sane, and pretty soon he gets to sow havoc again like only he knows best.

Tom Hardy plays his character to perfection in Bronson and proves he is one of the most electrifying up-and-coming actors currently on cinema circuit. The story is well told from a first person perspective, which makes also for an interesting and intriguing format.

The directional choices are good ones and the film has a clever music score to highlight Mr Bronson in the various scenes and scenarios at his demented best.

Watch ‘Bronson’ even if only to appreciate someone else’s idea of choosing the road less travelled.

 

Something Authentic In Every Fake

“There's a lot of risk involved in passing off a fake or a forgery. If you're found out, your reputation can be irreparably damaged, or you could face prison. But people engage in the enterprise nonetheless, for artistic acceptance, ego gratification or for pure profit.

The terms "fake" and "forgery" are sometimes thought to mean the same thing, but there's a difference. A fake is an existing object that's been tampered with to create the illusion of greater value, and a forgery is an object fabricated in a familiar style to give the illusion of authenticity. But if you've paid a lot of money for something that's not what you thought it was, what's the difference?

The expert is the one thing standing between the fabricator and the victim. Experts will look at an intended purchase and verify its authenticity, thereby preventing a buyer from being fleeced.”  (Taken from Treasure Detectives CNBC, ‘Fakes and Forgeries That Fooled The Experts’.)

Fortunately, where it concerns art, there are ways you can arm yourself so as to not be deceived: 

Make sure you acquaint yourself with the artist and their work,

study the signature and frame to see if anything is off and,

not all colours were available in the past so it’s also a good idea to take a colour chart with you and see if a colour was used that was not possible during the era the painting was made. 

Unfortunately, it is possible for some fakes to elude detection and even experts can be fooled. 

 

In ‘The Best Offer’ Virgil Oldman (Geoffrey Rush) is just such a man. As the managing director of the famous Oldman’s Auction House his opinion where it concerns matters of an artistic nature is highly valued and frequently sought out, too.

Over a long and illustrious career, he has managed to build his company into one of the best and most respected in the auction business and subsequently himself as their finest auctioneer. 

Possessing the vast amount of knowledge about art as he does, Virgil knows how to discern between which works are authentic and which ones are not. As a result, he doesn’t take on just any piece to auction off and he definitely doesn’t entertain anybody who simply claims to be somebody. 

When a young heiress, Claire Ibbetson (Sylvia Hoeks) contacts him to employ his services, he at first is sceptical about her being a sound future prospect. She surely sounds a bit aloof when speaking over the telephone and upon their first meeting she actually fails to show up, thereby showing little to no respect for a person of his renown. 

But beneath all his grandeur of professionalism, he has a sensitive side to him and when Claire phones again, desperately trying to explain to his assistant that she was in an accident and left in a pool of blood, he is moved and stubbornly agrees to take her call. 

During their conversation, they agree on a follow-up appointment and so the wheels are set in motion.

Claire, as it turns out, suffers from a rare disease, or syndrome, if you want. One she’s had since being a young girl. As a result, she spends most of her time locked in her room, hardly engaging with the outside world at all. Obviously conducting the compilation of an auction list without being privy to some face time with the owner presents its own set of technicalities and so the plot thickens. 

From beyond the wall of her room most of their conversations are conducted then and slowly but surely they not only get to complete their business together, but get to know each other, too. 

When it comes to women, poor Virgil however has no clue. The most and best love he has ever received from any, is through his private art collection of numerous female portraits. His affection and his ability to appreciate the fragile nobility of these women in the paintings is ultimately his undoing. 

The similarities between them and Claire are all too similar, yet to him, she is the real thing, the one marvelous work of art that his heart has always yearned and chose to wait for. 

But feelings, friendship, happiness, hate and even love can be faked and knowing how to spot them is often an exercise in futility, even to an expert. 

Geoffrey Rush is superb as Virgil Oldman clinching all the subtle nuances of his character’s performance every step of the way, while being treated to a score composed by Ennio Morricone, you get to experience a film that’s a true work of art.