The Control Freak

• softcover

Control tells the remarkable story of Ian Curtis, lead singer of the influential band Joy Division and one of the most enigmatic figures in all of rock music. Based on his wife's memoir, Control follows Curtis' humble Manchester origins and his rapid rise to fame, tormented battle with epilepsy, and struggles with love that led to his death at the age of 23.In his elegiac debut, Anton Corbijn combines the music film with the social drama to stunning success. Based on Deborah Curtis's clear-eyed biography, Touching from a Distance, Control recounts the wrenching tale of a working-class lad about to hit the highest highs only to be waylaid by the lowest lows. Born and raised in Macclesfield, a suburban community outside Manchester, Ian Curtis (newcomer Sam Riley in a remarkable performance) dreams of fronting a band. Just out of high school in the mid-1970s, he finds thr! ee like minds with whom he forms post-punk quartet Warsaw--better known as Joy Division (Riley and castmates ably recreate their somber sound). All the while, he falls in love, marries, and fathers a child with Deborah (Samantha Morton, turning a thankless role into a triumph). While Curtis should be enjoying parenthood and newfound fame, he's plagued by seizures. A diagnosis of epilepsy leads to powerful medications with unpredictable side effects. Then, while on tour, he falls in love with another woman. His solution to these problems is a matter of public record, but Corbijn concentrates on Curtis's life rather than his death. Just as Control establishes a link between such disparate black and white works as fellow photographer Bruce Weber's Let's Get Lost and kitchen-sink classics like The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, the Dutch-born, UK-based director presents his subject not as some iconic T-shirt image, but as a deeply flawed--if massiv! ely talented--human being. --Kathleen C. FennessyA conv! icted ki ller is given a second chance at life if he is willing to take part in a behavioral modification program.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 6-JUN-2006
Media Type: DVDWhat Would Your Life Be Like If You Simply Let Go of Control?
 
At work, they oversee every detail of every project and expect nothing less than perfection from their coworkers.
 
At home, they obsess over finding the "right" person.  Then, they criticize their lover or spouse for doing everything wrong.
 
As parents, they practice zero tolerance for their children's preferred study practices, choice of friends, dress choices, and differing life views.
 
Sound familiar?  Everyone knows the type: micromanagers, nitpickers, and domestic despots.   Yet, most people fail to recognize the signs of a compulsion to control in themselves--or realize the toll of their behavior on their career, their family, their friendships, and their own happiness.
 
In Losing Control, Finding Serenity: How the Need to Control Hurts Us and How to Let It Go (Ebb and Flow Press, 2011) Daniel Miller pinpoints the dangers of excessive control, which goes far beyond setting limits and standards, in all aspects of life.   What's more, he shows those who feel the pressure to control how to break free and reap unexpected gifts.
 
Sharing his journey of transformation, Miller reveals what happened when he finally decided to "surrender": his blinders fell away, new opportunities emerged, and he experienced unprecedented, profound inner peace.
 
Drawing on psychological ! insights, spiritual wisdom, and the real-life stories of ackn! owledged "control freaks," Losing Control, Finding Serenity guides readers through an honest inventory of their control patterns--whether prodding, cajoling, withdrawing, playing the martyr, or intimidating--down to the roots.  As most controllers will discover, their compulsion to control is provoked by deep-seated fear, anxieties, and insecurities, then aggravated by anger and resentments.
 
Filled with enlightening true stories, Losing Control, Finding Serenity
gives readers the knowledge, the courage, the strategies, and the "decontrol" tools to:
 
*Identify and overcome the control triggers of fear, anger, and resentment.
 
*Avoid avoidance, with techniques for overcoming procrastination and reassuring exercises for resisting the urge to withdraw from loved ones.
 
*Become a less domineering parent, build a family democracy, and reduce the struggles with children.
 
*Find and keep the right person by accepting who he or she is rather than trying to change their romantic partner.
 
*Maintain realistic expectations in sports, whether as a player or a coach, and gain the competitive edge.
 
*Free the flow of creative thinking by varying the perspective, addressing the fear of failure and success, and relaxing rather than over-thinking everything.
 
*Delegate to and trust coworkers to reap increases in productivity, efficiency, and job satisfaction--and reduce conflict and dissension.
 
*Learn to be patient and calmly accept "what is," even when adversity strikes, to enjoy a more fulfilling and serene life.
 
* Pursue your passions and achieve greater life balance
 
In a chaotic, unpredictable world that's frequently beyond anyone's control, Losing Control, Finding Serenity offers welcome encouragement and validation for going with the flow of life as it is: an ongoing, every changing mystery.
 
Find out how losing control really means gaining control.
                                                In his elegiac debut, Anton Corbijn combines the music film with the social drama to stunning success. Based on Deborah Curtis's clear-eyed biography, Touching from a Distance, Control recounts the wrenching tale of a working-class lad about to hit the highest highs only to be waylaid by the lowest lows. Born and raised in Macclesfield, a suburban community outside Manchester, Ian Curtis (newcomer S! am Riley in a remarkable performance) dreams of fronting a band. Just out of high school in the mid-1970s, he finds three like minds with whom he forms post-punk quartet Warsaw--better known as Joy Division (Riley and castmates ably recreate their somber sound). All the while, he falls in love, marries, and fathers a child with Deborah (Samantha Morton, turning a thankless role into a triumph). While Curtis should be enjoying parenthood and newfound fame, he's plagued by seizures. A diagnosis of epilepsy leads to powerful medications with unpredictable side effects. Then, while on tour, he falls in love with another woman. His solution to these problems is a matter of public record, but Corbijn concentrates on Curtis's life rather than his death. Just as Control establishes a link between such disparate black and white works as fellow photographer Bruce Weber's Let's Get Lost and kitchen-sink classics like The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, the! Dutch-born, UK-based director presents his subject not as som! e iconic T-shirt image, but as a deeply flawed--if massively talented--human being. --Kathleen C. FennessyThey're pushy. Forceful. Impatient. Always in a hurry. And they're usually ready to tell others how to do their jobs “better.” Control freaks. Maybe you know one. Maybe you are one. What are you to do? Psychologist Les Parrott (a recovering control freak) helps readers relate better to the control freaks around them. And if you are a control freak, Les will help you become willing to lose the control you love. The book includes self-tests and a lifelong prescription for healthier relationships.