Courtesy of LadyMohan

The first theater was your typical industrial sized behemoth, the conventional factory of entertainment located in the back of a neon lit strip mall filled with restaurants selling overpriced drinks and mediocre food.  After literally driving in circles desperately searching for a spot, my wife hopped out to check if there were even any tickets available.  Fortunately, as it would turn out, there were not. 

The second option, the Bryn Mawr Theatre, the one closer to our home, is your parents’ movie theatre, quaintly situated in the middle of a historic main street, surrounded by local pubs and charming shops and shining ever brighter on account of the holiday decorations. 

It’s the kind of theatre and street right out of the film where Tiffany, a beautiful and powerful Jennifer Lawrence, crazily accuses Pat, a disheveled yet equally powerful Bradley Cooper, of harassing her.  It’s just one of many scenes of brilliant authenticity of character and setting that make Silver Linings Playbook an all-around wonderful film that is completely worth your time. 

Cooper plays Pat, recently released from psychiatric care under the guardianship of his mother (Jacki Weaver), and unbeknownst to his father (Robert DeNiro).  Pat was sent away after violently assaulting his wife’s lover upon catching them in the shower together.  While in the psych ward, Pat’s doctors diagnosed him with bi-polar disorder, and now that he has moved back home with his overly anxious mother and OCD, Philadelphia Eagles’ obsessed father, things are crazier than ever. 

However, Pat finds a silver lining to all his woes.  He’s in great shape, has his act together, is going to read all the books on his wife’s course syllabus, and write a few letters to her to let her know he’s healthy and safe again.  Simple.  Now enter Tiffany (Lawrence), who steals the show as an equally troubled, extremely depressed, recent widow, whose only comfort is in sexual rendezvous with her former colleagues.  Tiffany promises to communicate to Pat’s wife as along as he promises to perform in a professional dance competition.  Again, simple, right?  Although Jack Nicholson’s character, Melvin Udall, from As Good as It Gets famously once said, “Sell crazy someplace else, we’re all stocked up here”, in Silver Linings, the more crazy, the better. 

The little I know of Bi-polar disorder is that people who suffer from it, amongst other symptoms, are victims of severe mood swings, incredibly high highs and devastatingly low lows.  And here is one of the more brilliant aspects of the David O’Russell’s (The Fighter) film, the amazing shift in emotion, which captures the torture of such a severe psychological disability.  One moment Pat is a pinball of excitement, constantly reminding his parents that he’s in a “good place”, and the next he’s on the verge of emotional collapse as he searches for his wedding video, accidentally hitting his mother and then fighting with his father.  Each scene and drastic emotional change draws the readers closer to Pat, his family and friends, and his struggle.  And although seemingly unbelievable at times, the pain of Pat and his parents as they struggle to adjust and establish a healthy balance is so raw and authentic that it is easy to suspend disbelief.  

Arguably the best scene of the entire film, the “Parlay” scene, serves as the perfect reflection of this fine balancing act between rage and love and disappointment and compassion and sorrow and hilarity.  After getting into a fight at an Eagles’ game, a game Pat’s father, Pat Sr., bet his savings on and a game that the Eagles lost (to the Giants, thus adding to the fury), Pat is confronted with his enraged father.  It didn’t help that Pat Sr., who struggles with his own OCD complex wrought with superstitions, expected Pat to be the good luck charm to help the Eagles win, which should seem funny. 

What ensues, though, is anything but funny, at least not at first.  It’s a powerful back and forth and physically jarring portrayal of deeply rooted sadness, with Pat’s father letting loose years of pent up disappointment and Pat responding with an equal amount of resentment, with the Philadelphia Eagles functioning as the perfect catalyst and metaphor for it all. 

However, just as you wait for it all to fall apart, cringing at the invectives being hurled like lamps between father and son, in enters Tiffany, providing an equal dose of guilt and rancor for Pat for missing a dance lesson.  All tightly wrapped in a cramped, old living room, friends and family, all with their own issues, Pat has returned to a far crazier place than the mental hospital in the beginning of the film.  As the screaming continues, eventually a silver lining parlay to settle all of Pat Sr.’s debts with his Cowboy fan and friend, Randy, is proposed by Tiffany (An implausible bet for the Eagles to beat the Cowboys and for Pat and Tiffany to score a 5 out of 10 at a professional dance competition is all that needs to occur for Pat Sr. to win his money back and start up his own steak shop).  

It’s a moment where the suspension of disbelief seems necessary, yet the insanity of it all is entirely believable… and incredibly funny.  What’s amazing is how quickly the mood, both of the film and the theater, changed.  Such a change couldn’t happen without the audience believing the actions and reactions, dialogue, and setting were all real.  Cooper himself reflected on the value of authenticity in a recent interview, claiming, “That house almost felt like we were doing theater in it. The scene where Jennifer comes in and does the whole parlay scene—the whole cast was there, and it just had this immediate vibration, which was intoxicating for an actor.”

Silver Linings Playbook is one of those rare films that manages to avoid the conventional labels.  It’s dramatic, comedic, romantic, and just plain good.  It’s a movie that is tense, crazy, and equally funny.  It’s a movie that’s best enjoyed with a friend, spouse, or family member.  And whether you see it in a mega theater or a small one, it’s a movie you’re sure to enjoy. 

Courtesy of Moynn Brenn

 Tunnel of Green

Hate Sunlight and love green? You’re not alone, go and check out this green arboreal tunnel network. Not only can you avoid getting a sunburn when you’re hanging out in your yard but it probably offers reasonably decent protection from rainfall as well.

A River Runs Through It

Have you always wanted to live in your very own rainforest utopia? Don’t we all? Is that a rhetorical question? Yes; yes it is. You’d probably need some pre-existing conveniently situated terrain to build something like this in your own backyard, but it makes me pretty happy so see that someone somewhere managed to pull it off.

Moss

This is what I would call making the very best of living in a moist, shady climate. If you’re already living in a swamp, why not make it the greenest, most awesome swamp ever? Not only will you be able to throw the baddest Halloween parties on the block but you can finally toss your lawnmower. Why bother with grass if you don’t have to?

Modern

Here we find an interesting contrast created by the pristine background of the mountainous backdrop against the strikingly manicured and shaped bushes, carefully laid out in a specific pattern. The obviously deliberate and controlled growth of the plants is a uniquely human expression, and it says something about their owner’s desire to make their mark (as well as saying something about tendencies to micro-manage).

Untamed

Another way to get out of mowing your lawn is to just sow some wildflowers and let it grow. If it’s done right it leaves you with a gorgeous meadow that you can frolic about in and pick flowers out of while quoting Victorian literature.

 Mackenzie Kupfer has been a lover of all things green since the age of six when she began gardening with her Nana. She is currently an online publisher for the http://www.avantgardendecor.com garden decor site avantgardendecor.com. In her free time, Mackenzie enjoys attending garden shows, hiking, and collecting ceramic tea sets.

Courtesy of Balanced.Crafts

Once clued into this ingenious design element, I began to watch for it everywhere I went. Office buildings use it, restaurants, and some department stores. So I asked myself, “Why am I not incorporating this into my home using photos of my family?” Some will argue (as I had to rebut the argument) that to display the art, you must have an entirely free wall space. Untrue, it should fit comfortably into your home and play as the focal point of any room, not be the entire room.

Another complaint I have heard is that no one likes to hang wallpaper. While this may feel like an intimidating and daunting task, it really is not difficult to do. A professional hanger is an option as well or repositionable paper (with the sticky like a Post It on the back), but to bypass the effect on your home because you don’t want to hang the paper is crazy! It is well worth having a friend or your spouse help you for an afternoon and get it placed and smoothed to your liking.

So what if you don’t take pictures or paint anything you want on your wall? That is easy. When you need a photo and don’t have one, and don’t discredit your kids’ art either…it is quite special, you can find one online. Just don’t take one that someone doesn’t give you permission to use. The wallpapers from various places have a database of hundreds to choose from. I was redecorating our dining room in a Tuscan theme and we had never been there before. I think the dining room is one of the harder areas to decorate a long wall and have it flow well. So, we looked into finding a mural that fit with what we were doing. We had already done a portrait of us, black and white, in our entryway and were very pleased with how it turned out. The next room was a whole new beast. We chose a full color scene, very earthy with wood tones and weather. We love how it has changed the atmosphere of the room, although it would have meant more had we taken the photo ourselves. 

I suppose my point is, don’t discredit some of these truly wonderful elements that you can add to your home. We tend to hear wallpaper and think of the homes we grew up in and don’t realize that trends have changed. It is quite the art piece for the walls now, but to use your own art is all the better, if my opinion means anything at all.

Chris Garrett is a large format printing expert and online publisher for the customized wallpaper expert megaprint.com. He frequently blogs on the topics of design and printing.

Spoiler Alert!- Read if you want, but there are many spoilers if you haven't seen the episode yet.

GLIDING o'er all, through all,
Through Nature, Time, and Space,
As a ship on the waters advancing,
The voyage of the soul--not life alone,
Death, many deaths I'll sing.

-Walt Whitman

Walter White may have sung his last death.  He’s managed to escape it- through luck, chemotherapy, the help of Jesse and others, and his own intuition- on numerous occasions over the past year of his life and the past four and half seasons of the show.  Although we know Walt is still alive by his 52 birthday, he is on his own, on the run from a very dangerous foe(s), and appears to have lost everything he has risked so much for.  After last night’s mid-season finale, how it will all end is still entirely unclear; however, the writers were kind enough to lay the framework for the true beginning of Walt’s demise.  After having wrapped up all remaining loose ends, made enough money for “ten lifetimes”, paid his debt to Jesse, and declared he’s “out”, life seems to have returned to normal for Walt, but just when he thought he was out…

Title- “Gliding Over All”

In what was probably one of the more brilliant titles in the show’s history- “Faceoff” from Season 4’s finale is my favorite- the writers have craftily managed to encapsulate plot development, character, and theme so perfectly and poetically with its mid-season finale’s title.  “Gliding Over All” is the title of a Walt Whitman poem, which comes from Whitman’s classic Leaves of Grass, a book which Gail Beticker had purchased for Walter as a gift, which finally provides Hank the missing link of his investigation.  Finally, after many seasons and episodes of wondering HOW Hank would finally figure it all out, one of the biggest questions of the remaining season and entire series has been answered, and to steal from other site’s reviews of the episode, achieved true “poetic justice”.  Moreover, the poem also seems to capture Walt’s arrogance, with his unbridled belief in his superior intellect, which he believes has allowed to escape cleanly.  Finally, the poem’s final line, “Death, many deaths I’ll sing” reinforces the themes most consistent and longest running theme, Death.  Yet how exactly it relates to the show’s portrayal of death, or Walter, is still open to speculation.  Obviously Walter has overseen many deaths, in this episode more than ever, and as previously noted, he has escaped many deaths for himself, so it seems that the poems final line is referring to both aspects of death both of the past and still to come in the final eight episodes.    

Scene 1- “Pick Yourself Up”

Speaking of death, the writers took a stab and succeeded in capturing the most intense shiving scene since HBO’s OZ.  In classic Breaking Bad fashion, they managed to keep the multiple stabbings lighthearted by playing an upbeat Frank Sinatra tune, “Pick Yourself Up”, thus offsetting one of the more gruesome multiple murder scenes in entertainment history.  Again, the sequence seemed to be a homage to the end of The Godfather, when Michael has all of his enemies killed while at his son’s baptism.  Although Walter wasn’t at a baptism, he remained at home, the house of his wife and children, enhancing the contrast of innocence and violence so well. 

Scene 2- Meth & Money Montage?

I was disappointed by the montage that sped the episode and series along a few months, and it made me wonder how many homes need such intense, long-term fumigation.  I was confused by the sudden establishment of Walt and Lydia’s international expansion without the consultation between the Phoenix crew.  Is Walt merely cooking with Lydia now, or is he supplying both parties separately, or is there a new partnership established between all of them?  Lydia’s neurotic nature, more than anything makes me question this new arrangement, because she doesn’t seem to trust anyone and it was never made clear if she met Walt’s Phoenix business associates.  It doesn’t make sense that Walt is simply cooking for Lydia because technically the Phoenix crew owns the methylene.  Finally, I confused about all of the money Walt has made and Skyler has been storing away.  Is that money simply from the past few months?  Either way, it worked well enough in hindsight to move the show forward, but I hope some of these open-ended items will be addressed in the final eight episodes. 

Scene 3- Fond Memories

Walter and Jesse’s trip down memory lane was another great scene, if not somewhat ridiculous.  Sometimes the show struggles with its timeline.  Since all of the events have only occurred over one year for the characters, it seems a bit implausible that Walter and Jesse would be speaking of events that didn’t happen so long ago with such nostalgia.  However, for the viewers, the memories of the RV and the original partnership of Walt and Jesse work well to remind them how far the two have come over the four and half seasons of the show.  While Jesse obviously feared the worst in the unexpected meeting, by portraying the relationship between the two in a state of seeming concord, it leaves the culmination of their troubled association still in suspense and the true worst yet to come. 

Scene 4- Chasing Monsters

“Tagging trees is a lot better than chasing monsters.”  Certainly true and certainly poignant considering Hank is expressing such thoughts to the very monster he’s been chasing for the past year.  Yet, it’s Walt’s sentiment that he “used to love to go camping” that seems the more important here.  Although this scene occurred earlier in the episode, the significance in relation to Walt’s changing demeanor throughout the episode is worth analyzing.  With Walt happily playing with his daughter, and then Hank’s recollection of his earlier, more pleasant job, the theme of loss of innocence is portrayed so well, and it is clear through Walt’s own reflection that he recognizes this loss, apparently more than ever.  This self-reflection is something arguably more important than any other development in the show, and although extremely sudden, it’s essential nonetheless for it reestablishes the most important conflict of the show: Walt’s vacillation between good and evil.

Scene 5- Dr Jekyll or Mr. Hyde

The abruptness with which Walt has resolved his inner demons is definitely questionable.  After years of developing a character transformation that seemed irreversible, the writers have turned a new corner on Walter White’s road to self-destruction.  As shocking as this turn may be, the writers and Bryan Cranston still pulled it off so well, with the ever so subtle scenes of Walt staring contemplatively off multiple times throughout the episode.  His reflective focus on the fly, the painting, the pool, the smashed up towel dispenser all convey a man at a loss and a man at peace, equally, at the same time.  My favorite of the four was certainly the pondering that occurred at the mangled dispenser, with Walt unable to see his true reflection.  Even though the show’s direction at the end implies that Walt, and Skyler, are heading down a path of reformation, together, Walt’s chances of redemption are definitely more unstable.  And even though we know something is going to go awry, the writers have still managed to force us to ask whether Walt has he reigned in his anger, resentment, and arrogance enough to actually move forward and reclaim his soul and a normal life.  The dramatic irony of knowing that he can’t and won’t only makes his impending turn back to Mr. Hyde all the more tragic.

Patrick Edmonds is a co-founder, editor, and writer for/of The Lunch Break.  His passions include Food, Arts & Entertainment, and Education.  You can follow Patrick Edmonds on facebook and on Twitter @patrickedmonds1.