The Guard and the Wrong Guy

A couple weeks ago I went to see The Guard with Kristine, a library coworker. It's an independent Irish film starring Brenden Gleeson and Don Cheedle, and I loved it! It's very typical Irish dark humor (hilarious!), and the acting, of course, is brilliant (my favorite baddie, Mark Strong, is in it too!). It's nice to see a non-Hollywood, non-American film every once in a while to keep me from getting bored with movies. Especially after a summer full of mostly conventional blockbusters (which is pretty much every summer, to be honest), I like to refresh myself with a little odd indie film like this one. In fact, I think this is probably my favorite film of the year so far! It's the first feature from director John Michael McDonagh--I think I may have to keep an eye out for what he produces in the future.

The Guard trailer:

I checked out another book from the library on a whim. It's called How Not to Marry the Wrong Guy by Anne Milford and Jennifer Gauvain, MSW, LCSW. It has the subheadings of "Is He 'the One' or Should You Run?" and "A Guide to Living Happily Ever After," with a picture on the cover of a wedding cake with a little bride and groom on top, and the bride dashing away. I laughed when I saw it and read the first few lines. They intrigued me! I decided to check it out just to see what it ridiculous things it might say, but now I find myself actually reading it through. It's quite interesting! The authors interviewed numerous women from varying backgrounds asking them to give advice to other women on how not to make the mistakes they did. So the book is filled with snippets and stories from women who have been through bad relationships and marriages, giving the reader a good idea of how to recognize "red flags." It also serves the purpose of letting the reader know she's not alone in her situation. The book's objective is to help women recognize unhealthy relationships, and to realize that although it is hard to break it off, it will only get worse if it's allowed to continue. I personally am in a very satisfying relationship, but I still feel as though I'm learning from this book. At the very least, the various anecdotes given within have helped me realize why it's possible for so many women to stay in relationships they know aren't good for them. (It also helps confirm for me the healthiness of my own relationship.) Regardless of one's relationship status, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the psychology behind bad relationships, or anyone who wonders why the divorce rate is so high in this country.