Its Christmaaaas!

Hello my lovelies,

Its that time of year again and I am so excited! Christmas is my favourite time of year and with it comes so many more films, but of course you can still watch them throughout the rest of the year if you wish to. I never get bored of them despite watching them every year, it just makes me feel so much more festive and excited for Christmas to come. I still feel like a kid at Christmas, getting excited over the smallest of things and just wanting it to be Christmas already.

I expect most people have seen my favourite Christmas films already so I thought I'd group them together in my first festive post of the year. There are so, so many Christmas films out so I'll just keep it to five that I love to watch every year.

• Elf:
  I already know that some people disagree with me, but I think this may be my favourite Christmas film. It's so funny and so cute. I've seen it so many times that I actually know some of the lines off by heart now, oh dear. I have a post from 2013 all about Elf so I won't ramble on about it. I just think everyone should watch it though.
• Love Actually:
  Such a sweet rom-com showing love in different ways and relationships between multiple couples that seem to interlink in several ways. I love the cast and I never get bored of this film. I happily watch this any time of year because its so cute and just makes me happy. I love Hugh Grant in it too!
• The Holiday:
  I think the first time I watched this it wasn't actually Christmas because I didn't realise it was a Christmas film. Firstly it has Jack Black in it which just makes it pretty awesome, secondly Jude Law. Its another rom-com that's really sweet and just makes people happy when they watch it.
• Home Alone:
  If you've never seen Home Alone then where have you been hiding for so long! There's three Home Alone films but personally I think the first one is the best. Its so funny and even though I've seen it so many times it still makes me laugh every time. Its always a definite film to watch when it comes to this time of year.
• The Santa Clause:
  This is one of my family's favourites that we love to watch each year. Tim Allen is so brilliant playing Santa Claus and its so funny. Again I think there are three of these films but I think for me the best is the first one as it shows how he becomes Santa Claus which leads onto everything else. Its one of those feel good films where it starts off a bit rocky but things get turned around to result in a happy Christmas ending. Definitely another I'll be watching this year.

All these films are pretty much good for most ages and I'd recommend them all if you haven't seen them already, and even if you have watch them again! I watch them every year and they'll never get too old, or ever be boring.

Hope you're all enjoying your countdowns to Christmas and are looking forward to it wherever you are.

Until next time, thanks for reading :) x

 (Ps. I realise I said the word Christmas so, so many times. I'm sorry, it's just exciting!)

Wall Street

Hello my lovelies,

Well today has been a gloomy rainy day in the UK so I took the chance to go back to my long list and choose another to watch and share with you all.

I was hoping I'd like Wall Street as when I watch Wolf of Wall Street I really enjoyed it, but this time this film just wasn't for me so this will be very brief.

Directed by Oliver Stone in 1987, Wall Street is an American drama film focusing on the career of Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a stockbroker trying to work his way up in the business in 1985. When he gets involved with Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) he thinks it will help him and at first it seems to, but he gets dragged in too deep to a point where he finds himself in trouble.

Although this film was slightly amusing at times, mostly due to John C. McGinley who plays Marvin (& Dr Cox in Scrubs), it just didn't do anything to hold my attention. I get that its an old film and set in a slightly older time, but its all dull colours and everyone looks the same, rushing around doing the same thing like robots, and maybe that's the impression they're trying to give of what its like to work on wall street. As well as this, the film also suggests that its a very 'you've either got it or you don't' kind of business where you have to do anything and everything it takes to make a name for yourself.

Although the acting was good and Sheen fit the role, I personally didn't enjoy this film just because it didn't grip me and to be completely honest there were times when I had no clue what was going on or what was being said, I don't do stockbroker jargon.

I don't think I'd watch this film again but if these business drama kind of films are your sort of thing then definitely give it a go if you can get past it being 2 hours long. There is also another starring Shia Labeouf released in 2010 that I haven't seen but might one day if I fancy getting back into this story, but maybe it could be your sort of thing.

Short and sweet, until next time, thanks for reading :) x  

Spirited Away

Hello my lovelies,

Hope you're well and looking forward to Christmas as it gets closer. Of course when it hits December I'll be getting some Christmas film reviews going but for now we continue with my never ending list of films sugested to me by so many people. Today's is Spirited Away. This Studio Ghibli film has been recommended to me by a few different people now and I can see why.

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki and released in 2001, Spirited Away is a Japanese animated fantasy film which tells the story of a 10 year old girl named Chihiro as she moves home with her parents. Along the way they seem to take a wrong turn entering a land in which spirits dwell and sadly Chihiro's parents get drawn into a trap that could see them living as pigs forever if Chihiro can't save them.

(Image found on Spiritedaway.wikia.com)

Although this is a long film, and can seem slightly strange, there is just something about it that makes it a beautiful anime to watch. I'd definitely recommend watching the subtitled version as with this it tells you meanings of characters names which just adds to how well this film was made. The artwork is brilliant and the amount of different spirits is inumerable. The creativity of Studio Ghibli amazes me and although I think this is only the second film of theirs that I have seen (Grave of the Fireflies being the first), already I'd recommend them to anyone. The soundtrack the works alongside these bright and colourful scenes is is so good that its even won awards! 

Even though this is a story about a child fighting and working to free her parents so they can return to the human world, there is still some elements of humour amongst the story, for example the idea that of all animals Chihiro's parents turn into pigs due to eating so much.

(Image from Spiritedaway.wikia.com)

You don't need to be an anime lover to enjoy this film, just be prepared for its long runtime but you get so drawn in to Chihiro's determination to save her parents that the length of the film doesn't seem to matter so much. Its a film that is fit for all age groups as well so anyone can enjoy it. Basically find it and watch it, you may think its odd at first but then you;ll get into it.

Until next time, thanks for reading :) x

(Image from Spiritedaway.wikia.com)

Donnie Darko

Hello my lovelies,

Still working through this long list of suggested films I've got and adding to it nearly everyday so lots to come. Donnie Darko is up today. As usual I'll try to avoid spoilers but it can't always be helped.

Written and directed by Richard Kelly in 2001, Donnie Darko is an American sci-fi, psychological drama film based on a schizophrenic teenager in 1988 living with his family and trying to figure out what his illusions mean. Starring a very young Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie, the film follows him day to day through his home life and school, with the interruptions of his illusion Frank. Frank is a giant creepy looking bunny rabbit that tells Donnie what to do, and stupidly Donnie obeys him scared that he'll be alone otherwise.

(Image found through Google)

We're first made aware of this strange rabbit figure quite close to the beginning of the film when Donnie wakes up to a strange voice and appears to be sleep walking towards it. At this point the soundtrack gets a bit eerie so we know this thing is going to be creepy. Outside the figure introduces himself as Frank and explains to Donnie that the world will end soon, in precisely 28 days 6 hours 42 minutes and 12 seconds. When Donnie properly wakes up he is in a golf course with a countdown to when the world is supposed to end written on his arm. As he arrives home he is greeted by a large crowd, fire engines and a police officer trying to stop him entering the house, during the night a jet engine had almost appeared out of no where and crashed into their house, right into Donnie's bedroom. During this time although its bright because its daytime, it is also almost as if the colours are brighter because he is himself now, not seeing or hearing things that are affecting his behaviour.

Throughout the film I noticed that when this character Frank appears it is either during the night or the colours in these scenes are almost all washed out, as if to say that Franks taken over now and Donnie isn't himself for the time being. There are scenes when Donnie is with his psychotherapist, Dr Thurman, who has a brown office and when he is there its almost as if because its not dark but its also not completely light so he can be himself but also allow himself to comfortable talk about Frank and how he makes Donnie feel, and if he appears in that room he is safe from being controlled by him whilst he's there.

(Image found through Google)

The whole time I was watching this film I kept thinking that although Donnie Darko is an odd and awkward character he is also interesting which makes him seem cool in a weird way. Although we see his life and what he goes through with Frank, there is still a bit of mystery to Donnie's character. Jake Gyllenhaal I feel played this role perfectly. From the way he talks to the facial expressions he makes when talking to different people, Gyllenhaal found a great way to play Donnie and just seemed to add a little something that makes him that little more different to the other teenagers within the film.

I feel like this is another film that almost makes you think more about things in life. For example there is a scene in which they are in a lesson watching a video on controlling fear, and later the man in that video, Jim Cunningham played by Patrick Swayze, comes into the school to discuss it. He talks about being afraid of fear and letting it control your actions and how you live your life, but if you are able to overcome it then you are able to live it however you please and will be able to be happy with the actions you take. I suppose in a way this could be true as if you're too scared to do something then you'll be controlled by that until the day that you decide you can do it and stop being worried or afraid about it. This made me think because there are actually things I think I could apply this to in my own life, so its definitely a film with some kind of message.

(Image found through Google)

*Spoiler alert – if you don't want to know the ending then stop reading now*

Due to the countdown to the end of the world that Frank mentioned to Donnie, he starts thinking about time travel and whether or not its possible. There is a line in the film that mentions being able to go back and undo all the wrong that you've done, somehow Donnie figures this out and after Frank has made him do multiple things he didn't want to, and events resulting in he girlfriend being run over, Donnie and everyone is taken back in time to the night of the jet engine crashing into Donnie's room. Previously Donnie had been saved from this by following the voice he heard, but sadly this time was different. We see the same crowd but this time Donnie doesn't just turn up, his family are outside crying whilst across the street Gretchen turns up and gets told that Donnie had died, however this time around she hadn't met him yet.

I'm not sure what I was expecting but wasn't expecting that ending, and although I'd gotten a little attached to Donnie's character throughout the film, I didn't cry surprisingly for me. I can definitely understand why this gets referred to as a cult classic and I'd recommend it to anyone that hasn't seen it. It was actually voted in as Film4's no. 9 in a list of 50 films to see before you die and came in at no. 5 in Australia's 10 favourite movies. I can understand why, and I'd watch it again.

With some humour here and there, and a great soundtrack to feature alongside its intriguing plot, Donnie Darko is definitely one to watch but don't expect to just kick back and zone out to it. Although it isn't difficult to follow its definitely worth paying attention to.

Until next time, thanks for reading :) x  

(This week the video didn't want to attach but simply follow the link below if you wish to view the official trailer)

Click here for the official trailer for Donnie Darko

"I'm the daddy now!"- Scum

Hello my lovelies,

Hope you're all enjoying your week wherever you may be. Weather in the UK can't seem to make up its mind as usual making it perfect for film watching writing reviews for you guys. Today's post will be quite a brief one as I didn't have a lot to say about Scum as I found it quite difficult to get into.

Originally made for the BBC, Scum is a 1979 British crime drama film directed by Alan Clarke representing how brutal life was inside a British borstal (an institution for young offenders).

Three young men get arrive at the borstal, and everything is just straight downhill from there getting themselves mixed in with all sorts of nasty characters inside.

Before watching I was warned about this being a brutal film, but I was not expecting to see scenes of suicide. Scum is definitely not a film that you can just watch easily, its not one that's been made to be entertaining but instead almost educating viewers on how things used to be within institutions such as these.

There is so much violence and most of it is carried out just for the fun of it because they could, as well as rape and so much racism. Obviously its easy to be oblivious to these situations in reality as the saying goes 'out of sight, out of mind', but when you're watching it on a screen it really makes you think about how people actually get treated within young offenders institutions and prisons, but then almost as soon as its over its easy to tune out again and not give it a second thought.

Scum was a very different film to anything I would normally watch, and I know I say that a lot but it really was. It didn't feature any soundtrack at all, in fact the only form of music comes from a scene involving the use of a radio. Due to the lack of soundtrack it makes the film feel a lot longer and I think this is another reason for why it felt so difficult to get into.

Although I sometimes like watching films or programmes about life in prison, I didn't enjoy this one because I think it was too brutal for me, and even though that is a true fact of how prison life was in those times, I found it uncomfortable to watch and see how these men were treated by each other and also the wardens.

For once this is a film I wouldn't recommend to others. Its not that I hated it as I did find it slightly interesting, it just wasn't my sort of thing and I wouldn't watch it again. However I did find that there was another version made and released in 1982 called Scrubbers inspired by Scum, about life in a female borstal that I would give a watch to see how the two compare.

If life in prison is interesting to you and films about prison are your sort of thing then give it a go, but otherwise its not one I'll suggest to you.

Until next time, thanks for reading :) x  

'Don't ever do that again, or I'll break your head!' - Leon

 Hello my lovelies,

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Sunday included the start of something new to be coming to my blog soon, and I'm excited to share it with you guys and girls.

Working through my list of films still to watch and I saw Leon. It was another suggestion to me and I had been told that it was a good film and worth a watch. Well, I can now say that it really is! Word of warning, I think this could be a long post.

Leon, also known as Leon: the Professional (I'm still unsure as to which is the right name for it), is a 1994 English language French crime thriller which was written and directed by Luc Besson. It starts Jean Reno, Gary Oldman and Natalie Portman as three of the main characters, however when I looked it up beforehand this casting didn't excite me, needless to say it does now.

From the beginning of the film I wasn't sure if I'd like it or if it would be my sort of thing, but it didn't take long for the film to win me over. Something I had noticed at the beginning was a close up shot of a reflection in Leon's glasses, and there was something about it that just gives you that impression that Leon isn't the type of guy you want to mess with and should certainly stay on his good side. It doesn't take long to get into the action as we see Leon on a job trying to scare a guy away. Leon, played by Jean Reno, is certainly an interesting characters with his quirks such as sleeping in his arm chair each night prepared for anything that could happen but you soon warm up to him.

To try to summarise the storyline without spoilers Leon is a hit man and when Mathilda's family are shot dead by a corrupt DEA agent Norman Stansfield (played by Gary Oldman), he takes Mathilda in and reluctantly helps her with her revenge.

Mathilda (played by Natalie Portman) is a 12 year old girl that lives in the same building as Leon that luckily escapes an attack from agents who her father was holding drugs for. Although Leon seems to have a hard barrier up when it comes to looking after Mathilda, he gives in and she's able to break through the wall he's built up between him and other people, and he starts to take care of her and cares about helping her.

At times this film actually has its amusing moments and its a nice way to break up having so much drama just continuing non stop through the storyline. Some of the funny moments include Leon's love for his house plant that he cares for almost like a child, using his pig oven glove to cheer up Mathilda and also when they each dress up as film characters, although that scene is also a little cringey at times.

Leon and Mathilda have an odd relationship but it works well in a strange way. Some may say it seems as if Leon could be a paedophile, but he never does anything to Mathilda however much she tries to make him. Mathilda went through a tough situation for anyone to go through, so when Leon takes her in and takes care of her she feels what she thinks is real love for him, when in fact she's probably just grateful and feeling safe and looked after. I did find it slightly uncomfortable watching Mathilda trying to persuade Leon into doing things with her, she's a bit of a strange character but its obvious to see that she had a hard childhood and has felt like she's needed to grow up too soon. They have a strange bond and towards the end of the film it starts to really tug on your heartstrings.

I really liked this film and it even made me cry at the end. I now love Jean Reno and think that he is a brilliant actor. Although the film was long it was worth watching through to the end, even if it quite sad. I think it is definitely worth a watch and I'm glad I took the suggestion to watch it, so I now recommend it to all of you. It has a little bit of everything, action, drama, humour, what more do you need in a film?! Take a look and I hope you see why I now love this film.

Until next time, thanks for reading :) x 

A Clockwork Orange

 Hello my lovelies,

How is everyone doing today? Got another film from my ever growing list to share with you again. I've been told by multiple people to watch this, and well now I have and I'm not sure what to think of it. I liked it but its quite weird.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick, A Clockwork Orange is a dystopian crime film that was released in 1971. It's difficult to try to sum up this film and explain it properly, but its basically about a teenager, Alex, who enjoys Beethoven and rape, amongst the other forms of trouble he causes which he refers to as 'ultra violence'. Things take a wrong turn for him when he gets arrested and becomes a guinea pig for an experiment that could change prisoners views on violence forever.

Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) and his group of friends which he refers to as his 'droogs' are constantly out every night seeing what trouble they can cause next. They're a very strange group of friends and Alex actually creeps me out a little bit. During the film Alex narrates what's happening in slang formed from Slavic English and Cockney rhyming slang. At times I found it quite strange and didn't know what he was going on about, but I think that's just Alex in general. He is very much the type of person that likes to be in the spotlight, and likes to be the leader.

From the start of the film I could tell it was going to be an odd one. It opens to them sat in a milk bar, yes I said milk, milk mixed with drugs. Surrounded by mannequins that seemed to have names, and some of them even formed pieces of furniture. Very odd.

Leading up to Alex becoming part of an experimental treatment that are some things he does that I didn't like at all, but at the same time its not comfortable to watch him get strapped to a chair and forced to watch something that is making him ill and causing him pain, even if that is the doctors and prison guards idea of 'curing' him of his violent thoughts towards specific people such as women. They eventually decide that Alex is cured and now a reformed criminal, and allow him to be released from prison. Well lets just say he was probably safer inside, as would everyone else be.

On the outside Alex is found and recognised by people he had once caused harm to, resulting in them trying to get their own back, including his friends nearly killing him. When he thinks he's safe he's locked in a room and forced to listen to Beethoven which now causes him so much pain due to it being used during his treatment. In agonising pain he decides the only way to escape that feeling is by jumping out the window hoping it would kill him, however he is just knocked unconscious from the fall and later wakes up in hospital with several broken bones.

The treatment Alex was put through was meant to last forever and not allow him to have the violent thoughts again, however something about the fall must have reversed what they did to him. Much to Alex's delight he is no longer 'cured', and enjoys his violent thoughts once again.

A Clockwork Orange is quite a long film and once again I'm still undecided about whether I like it or not, although at times I was wanting to help Alex especially during that torturous treatment. I think at some point I might have to re-watch it at some point to properly decide if I like it.

I think its worth a watch just because its so different from most films now, and the language used is quite interesting to listen to as well, so if you fancy something different then look it up.

Until next time, thanks for reading :) x 

Trainspotting

 Hello my lovelies,

Hope you've had a good week whatever you've been doing. Another review today of a film I probably should have seen a while ago as its a film from 1996. As the title says, this film is of course Danny Boyle's Trainspotting which is based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh. Before watching I had at least heard of it but didn't know anything about it, so looked it up as I usually do. I didn't know but about the cast but as a Grey's Anatomy lover I was surprised to see that Kevin McKidd (Owen Hunt in Grey's Anatomy) played Tommy.

I'll try to keep it short and sweet today as I'm sure a lot of people have probably actually seen it, and although I thought I might need some explaining at first, it's actually easily summarised. I also think I'll be able to keep this spoiler free so you'll definitely have to look this one up for yourselves to understand.

Trainspotting is a comedy, crime drama film that is basically about life on drugs and the effects that they have on friendships, family, relationships and life in general. The main character Mark Renton, or just Renton as he's referred to a lot throughout the film, is played by Ewan McGregor and we see him on what I can only describe as a long path between wanting drugs and wanting to be clean. The storyline seems to almost rely on the idea that most young people take drugs or try them at least once, and is focused on Renton's struggle of being almost surrounded by Edinburgh's drug scene and his difficulty to escape it. Throughout the whole film we have a voice over by Renton discussing the choices he made and his thought process behind taking drugs.

All of the characters are slightly strange in their own ways, but one that was particularly annoying to me was Francis Begbie, although he is played by Robert Carlyle who also plays Rumpelstiltskin in Once Upon a Time. No matter what the situation he always finds, or rather creates, a reason to pick a fight with someone. This just got so irritating throughout the film, it was almost predictable at times.

It's almost one of those films that tugs at nearly every emotion going. There are scenes where it can be slightly amusing, but then others when it gets dark and depressive. I know its a cliché but I guess it can be a bit of an emotional roller coaster throughout, however no tears were shed whilst viewing this one. Makes a change for me!

This film was good and I did enjoy it, but there were times where although I understood it all, I did think it was slightly odd and at times slightly gross. But I would recommend it to others. If you're like me and have a never ending list of films to watch then add it and give it a go at some point.

Until next time, thanks for reading :) x  

'Just Had to Kill a lot of People!' - American Psycho

Hello my lovelies,

Hope everyone is having a good week so far. When I've not been at work I've been working my way through a long list of films I have building up, and writing these posts for you lovelies to read. Today's is another that was suggested to me, and although its fifteen years old now, I had still never seen it. It is of course American Psycho. Based of the novel by Bret Easton Ellis under the same name, American Psycho is a comedy psychological thriller directed by Mary Harron and it was released in 2000. I really enjoyed the film so I can't promise that this will be a spoiler free post but I'll try.

I did look this up before I watched and loved the look of the cast so I was excited to watch it and see how they worked together, and how Christian Bale played a bit of a crazy character.

The film is set in Manhattan during the Wall Street boom of the 1980s and from the start of the film there is a voice over that continues throughout by the main character Patrick Bateman. Bateman spends his days with the elite of Wall Street but then by night his activities couldn't be much different. One of the first scenes we see (and hear) how Patrick takes care of himself as he has a very specific routine for doing things, and it was during this that made me love this character a little bit, lets just say there's a very nice shower scene (need I say more, I think not).

Throughout the film its very clear that Patrick Bateman isn't the type of guy to show emotion unless he's talking about his love for music, however he mentions that the only emotion he feels is greed. Although if someone mentions business cards to him as he doesn't hide his jealousy very well, and his anger about it actually results in the first of his killings we say when he attacks a homeless guy and his dog for no reason. From this point on it was clear that he isn't all there in the head. Christian Bale himself even said in an interview last year for Sabotage Times that 'the whole movie's a strange experience'.

When I looked up the cast I noticed that Jared Leto played a character called Paul Allen, but I didn't even recognise him at all first! He played his part well though so it was a bit sad when Bateman had his way with him, and that never ends well. Another actor who plays a bit of a key role within the film is Willem Defoe as the character Detective Donald Kimball. I'm not sure what it is but there is always something creepy about Willem Defoe's characters, or maybe its him, either way he gives me the creeps. I think that Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman was an amazing casting choice as he played it perfectly, and although Bateman is quite crazy I kinda love him a little bit. Before filming Johnny Depp had actually shown an interest in playing the part of Patrick Bateman but I don't think that would've worked quite as well as having Christian Bale.

Throughout the film there doesn't even seem to be any reason why Patrick is killing these people, he's just not all there in the head and it seems to be that he gets pleasure from torturing and murdering people. Towards the end of the film after taking the lives of so many is various ways, it seems that Bateman goes slightly crazy as he loses it and leaves a confession on his lawyers answering machine, however that is taken as a joke and Patrick accepts that he'll never get the punishment he deserves for his actions and that having confessed meant nothing.

So much happened in this film, and I actually found it quite amusing at times, not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I really enjoyed it and would happily watch it again as well. As Patrick Bateman has a love of music it also has a pretty good soundtrack that worked well, and nearly always featured during his crazy killing sprees.

I think it is definitely worth a watch so go and find it right now. You'll thank me just for the shower scene at the beginning ;)

Until next time, that's all for now folks.

Thanks for reading :) x  

Weirdest Film Ever! - Filth

Hello my lovelies, hope you're doing well.

I've been watching some very different films recently compared to the ones I'd normally go for, and well different is just an understatement really.

The first film from my ever growing list of films to see was Filth, and simply put, it's not normal. It's so odd that I'm stuck knowing what to write about about it, so I'll keep it brief.

Filth is a Scottish crime comedy drama film released in 2013 directed by Jon S. Baird based on Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name.

I didn't know anything about it or even who was in it but I gave it a go anyway. Seeing that it starred James McAvoy as the main actor I figured it would be a good film but I found it to be a very hard film to follow and I'm still not sure if I actually understood anything about it. Simply put, Filth is a very strange film and I struggled to figure out what was going on due to that. I probably should have read up about the film prior to watching it, however now having done so I still don't think it helps understand very much. Although it clears up some of the confusion about James McAvoy's character Bruce.

The main plot throughout the film is that Bruce is trying to get a promotion to become detective inspector, however things take a bit of a turn for the worse as he's working on a murder case. He suffers from borderline personality disorder which just gets worse and he starts to hallucinate more and more.

Even though it was a very strange film I still think the cast did a great job at playing their characters. They were all a bit weird but one I found particularly creepy is Dr Rossi played by Jim Broadbent. I would certainly never go to a doctor like him as I'm pretty certain he needs to see a doctor himself! No matter how odd Bruce may be, events towards the end of the film just made me want to be able to help him.

I still can't decide whether I liked this film or not but I do think that its a good one as it gets you thinking and makes you want to keep watching just to try to understand what's happening. There are moments when it's slightly amusing but, mostly confusing. It's so different to anything I would normally watch and I liked that as a lot of films can feel like they're very repetitive. To be honest I'm unsure whether I'd recommend this film, although if I knew someone liked strange films that they have to think about to work out, then I'd suggest it to them.

Give it a go and maybe you'll be surprised.

Until next time, thanks for reading :) x  

September Favourites 2015

Hello my lovelies,

Hope everyone's doing well and enjoyed September, it went by so fast, I can't believe its October already! Before we know it it'll be Christmas and that seems really crazy!

During September the things I watched didn't changed up too much but there is some new changes to add that became my favourites.

Don't Tell The Bride 
Always loved this show no matter how cheesy and cringey the weddings turn out to be. I think its very brave of these women to give all control of the wedding over to the men with no say whatsoever. What girl doesn't dream of what her perfect wedding would be like, so when they're unable to do anything to make it possible it must feel heartbreaking at times. I love watching the crazy plans the husbands-to-be come up with, and then its so lovely when it all comes together at the end and the bride is pleasantly surprised.

The Big Bang Theory 
I've only just started watching this properly so I'm still on season one, but from what I have seen it is hilarious! Sheldon is by far my favourite with Leonard closely behind him. I love their strange group of friends and how Penny fits into the mix. Its so easy to watch with each episode being not much longer than 20 minutes. I'd definitely recommend it as something to watch to relax to.

Rocky Horror Picture Show Live
(See my previous post).
I've dedicated a whole post to this so I'll keep it short and simple. It was incredible, go and watch it right now!

Gotham
I don't know a lot about Batman so watching this from when Bruce Wayne was a child was quite interesting. I know of some characters from Batman so when I could tell who would be who, that was fun. I'm enjoying following the stories and the different events of each episode. Detective Jim Gordon is my favourite so far, he's a bit of a bad ass cop really but hides it well when he's trying to do the right thing. I'm still only on season one but I'd already recommend checking it out.

I'm looking forward to what October has to bring, and I already know that Once Upon A Time will be making another appearance on my screen with season five being released onto netflix. Would love to know what your favourites have been this month and if there's anything you think I should try watching.

Until next time my lovelies, thanks for reading :) x

Rocky Horror Show Live

Hello  my lovelies,

Got an exciting post for you today. I posted quite a while ago now about going to Rocky Horror Picture Show in theatre in Bournemouth, but this time round I saw it broadcast live into a cinema for a special showing.

On 17th September Rocky Horror Picture Show was broadcast from the Playhouse Theatre in London into over 600 cinemas across Europe all in aid of Amnesty International, and it was incredible! It has also been recently announced that it was the number one show beating Maze Runner and Legend. It starred special guests Stephen Fry, Emma Bunton, Mel Giedroyc, Ade Edmondson and Anthony Head each playing the role of the narrator, as well as Richard O'Brien stepping in towards the end of the show.

The countdown before the show began. 

If you know me or have been reading my blog for a while then you'll know how much I love Rocky Horror, so this was an event I couldn't miss. Having already seen it on stage I was automatically going to compare the two shows, and although my first impression was that it wasn't as good as when I saw it in theatre, it was amazing in its own way and I had a fantastic time.

The casting was brilliant and they all took to their roles amazingly. David Badella as Frank 'n' Furter was fantastic! Ben Forster and Haley Flaherty as Brad & Janet worked perfectly, such a good pairing and they were such a sweet couple. Rocky was played by Dominic Anderson and although I do think he did a great job, it just wasn't the same when they changed the line in the song to 'a man with brown hair and a tan', but that's just me being picky. I loved each of the cast members and their voices were all incredible. The theatre audience would shout out so many things and the cast bounced off of each comment so well and made them all work, It was amusing being able to tell when they were trying not to laugh at the audience too,

I didn't think people in the cinema would join in as much as fans do in theatres but I was wrong and I'm so happy I was. The cinema audience was just as fun to be around as it is to go to the theatre and some of us even dressed up as some of the characters. Lots of us joined in with the multiple time warp performances and sang along with each of the songs word for word. Emma Bunton and Richard O'Brien also took part in doing the time warp, which just made it so much better.

My Magenta inspired make up look for that night. 

If they are ever to broadcast it to cinemas again and you can't make it to see it in theatre, then I would most definitely recommend you go along as it is just as fun and is just as good. I'm so determined to keep seeing it as it is easily my favourite musical no matter how strange some people may think it is. if you still haven't seen it then stop what you're doing right now and go and watch it!

Until next time, thanks for reading :) x

Shut Up Crime! - 'Super'

Well hello my lovelies, long time no post I know but there's lots coming. However, today's post is quite short and sweet.

First things first (I'm a realist! See what I did there?), if you like Kick Ass then you will love Super, its so similar but in a more adult way. Starring Kevin Bacon, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler & Rainn Wilson, Super is an American super hero, dark comedy, drama film which even from the very beginning is very funny. The animated intro at the start is really cool and very well done, great way to start the film.

So the plot of the film is that Frank (Rainn Wilson) tries to get his wife Sarah (Liv Tyler) back after she leaves him for her drug dealing ex Jacques (Kevin Bacon), who has her hooked on drugs again after she had worked so hard to stay off them. When he tries to be civil about it things don't go his way and he just gets laughed at like a loser. Frank takes things up a notch when he turns himself into the Crimson Bolt and in doing so meets Libby (Ellen Page), who later becomes his superhero sidekick Boltie. The Crimson Bolt is crazy, and Boltie is just as bad if not worse! He uses a pipe wrench as a weapon and beats people nearly to death with it, since when was that sane! Its so brutal! Although turning yourself into a superhero isn't exactly sane either.

Although its a funny film it is also quite strange at times but it doesn't make you want to stop watching, however at times it was a bit gory and I had to look away for a moment before I could carry on watching the film. I did enjoy the film and the casting was great, the each played their characters so brilliantly and suited each of them perfectly. Surprisingly that might even be the first film I've ever seen starring Kevin Bacon and I think my favourite line of the film has to be from his character Jacques 'you have an egg cooking gift'!.

I think I would recommend this film to others but obviously not to a young audience as it is most definitely not appropriate for younger ages. If you haven't seen it then go give it a watch, there will at least be one thing about it that you like.

That's all for now folks, until next time, thanks for reading :) x 

'Its Okay Not To Be Perfect'

Hello my lovelies,

A very different post for you all today. Recently the lovely Becky Sheeran of TalkBeckyTalk on YouTube uploaded a video titled 'My Message To The Haters: Its Ok NOT To Be Perfect' and I felt that it was such an open and honest video about the pressure YouTubers get put under to be perfect just because of the nature of their work, YouTubers are normal people too just like you and I. Although I am currently not a YouTuber I can still relate to how they must feel getting comments containing such nastiness, surely we all can in one way or another.
Within our society and the media there is so much pressure put on everyone to look and be a certain way that it almost makes you forget that actually you don't have to be like everyone else at all.

What happened to being an individual and unique?
We don't all need to be the same and perfect in every way at all, where's the fun in that?

You don't need to be the best at everything and know everything, you wouldn't learn anything if you were. Everyone has their good and bad days, so when someone is having one of those slightly more off days then why do some feel the need to comment on that and bring them down even more, I've always stuck by treating others the way you want to be treated yourself and you'll get the same back. There's a saying that I'm sure a lot of you have heard that goes 'if you've got nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all', and just reading through some of the comments YouTubers get its horrible to see that some people can't stick by that. If you don't like something someone does or how someone looks you don't need to comment, everyone has their own way of doing things, its what gives them their individual personalities and characteristics.

Surely it takes more effort to think of spiteful things to comment rather than nice things, or if its that difficult then don't comment when you know it'll just bring that person down. It can be said that the more negative things stick with us over the positive as it makes people more wary about how they look & what they do, but if there is more positivity and encouragement then things can only get better and there wouldn't be a need for videos such as Becky's as she wouldn't feel so much pressure to be perfect at everything she shows in her videos.

We're all human, learning something new everyday, forever improving upon things we do and learning from our mistakes. If we support each other and give one another that little positivity boost when we each need it then we'd find that everyone would be happier and the communities we live in and those that we create ourselves through online platforms would be much nicer places.

Sorry if you feel this has been a bit of a rant but I'm one of those that likes to support others in their choices and negativity in unnecessary for that.

Until next time my lovelies, thanks for reading. I'll leave Becky's video below for you to watch, she explains things in a much better way than I do but I just wanted to share it with you. Enjoy :) x

(Would love if any readers would like to become followers, much love!)

August Favourites 2015!

Hello my lovelies,

Hope you're all doing well and enjoying the last of summer as Autumn seems to be creeping up on us slowly. I wanted to start something new on my blog so just like vloggers and YouTubers may film their monthly favourites, I wanted to start mine off by writing a blog post on them each month.
For the start of this new series of posts it'll be short and sweet, keeping it simple with three things I seem to have watched most throughout August.

Once Upon a Time
Oh my, my love for this show came back after a long period of not watching and has been growing ever since! I am absolutely loving it and will be sad when I'm all caught up and will have to wait for season 5 to start, thank god for Netflix for the time being. I have spent hours watching this, and can easily (and have done so) spend all day watching it episode after episode without doing anything else. I have been well and truly sucked into the storyline and love seeing the heroes & villains fight for their happy endings. So far I think Captain Hook is close to becoming my favourite character and Rumpelstiltskin is now sadly becoming my least favourite after doing well for so long. Once Upon a Time is such an amazing show for Disney lovers and anyone that loves fairy tales. Watching each of the characters from different stories come into the show keeps me hooked as I keep watching to find out how they fit into the plot line. I think this is easily a programme that people of any age can enjoy as its so lovely to watch and see the magic happen.

The Great British Bake Off
I am so glad this is back! I'm not a good cook or baker at all, but there's just something about food programmes that keeps me entertained. With Great British Bake Off I can easily say its the creativity that keeps me watching. I've been watching it with my mum and each week we keep saying we should be eating cake whilst we watch. I love seeing the kinds of things the bakers manage to create out of baked goods, and the challenges that Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry set the bakers. The show stoppers are by far my favourite part of the show to watch, the things they come up with are fantastic, and the lion made of biscuit is my favourite so far!

The SacconeJolys
Now you may not have heard of them but Jonathan and Anna Saccone-Joly are a YouTuber couple that vlog their lives everyday. It may not sound amazing but I'm loving watching it! As a more recent subscriber I have gone back to their oldest videos and been working my way through to their most recent. It's just so cute seeing the puppies get into all sorts of mischief, and their journey through Anna's pregnancy with Emilia and as she grows up. I think its sweet to capture the memories they make everyday, even if its something small. Its relaxing to just sit back and watch the vlogs at the end of the day and see what they get up to. I suppose watching their lives unfold on YouTube is the nosey part of our human nature coming out, but its just interesting to watch and they have quickly become two of my favourite YouTubers.

That's it for this month but be sure to check back for upcoming reviews and at the end of September for the next monthly favourites. Comment and let me know what some of your favourites have been so I can give them a go too, and while you comment feel free to give my blog a follow!

Until next time my lovelies, thanks for reading :) x

(Would love it if you could become a follower, much love!)

"To go against the church, is to go against God" - Priest

Hello my lovelies,

So recently I've been after film suggestions more, and one that was mentioned was Priest. I'd never even heard of it before let alone watched it, so I finally made time to do so today. I didn't know anything about it so wasn't sure what to expect, but I wasn't disappointed, so let's begin.

I'm still unsure how well known or popular Priest is, so in case many of you have yet to see it, I'll try to hold back on any spoilers. 

Directed by Scott Stewart, Priest is an American science fiction film mixed with horror as well as action, a whole lot of action! It stars Paul Bettany as Priest along with Karl Urban (Black Hat), Lily Collins (Lucy), and Maggie Q (Priestess), and my God is the acting brilliantly done. The are the actors that mainly stood out to me, but not just because of being main characters, but because of how well they fit into each role. As one of the only women in the film Maggie Q is amazing, and not your typical female character either, she's quite the tough woman proving that we don't always need to be portrayed as stereotypical weak people. Karl Urban was quite creepy as Black Hat, but I loved that about his character. He wasn't like the other vampires at all which made him stand out more and added some mystery to him. As Priest, Paul Bettany was incredible. I'd only seen him in one other film which was extremely different to this, but it just shows how well some people can adapt to playing different types of roles.

The plot of the film is around its society that was once at war with vampires, yes that's right, a war between humans and vampires, and the city gets ruled by the church. The church had previously found those they turned into priests, working for them to do the work of God and live life by their rules. Although the clergy believe the vampires are gone since the war ended, the kidnapping of Priests niece proves otherwise, and he goes against his vow of not going against the church in order to set out to find her, fighting through everything he faces on his way. On his journey Priest is joined by Hicks (Lucy's boyfriend) and a former priestess who set out to warn Priest, excellently played by Maggie Q. The three of them form a plan to take out the one that took Lucy, and to safely rescue her with hopes she isn't infected 

Right from the start of the film its clear that a lot has gone in to its production. Before even getting into the action there is an animated scene which shows the war that went on years previously, and soon after the story starts and the action unfolds. The action is incredible and almost non-stop, but it just keeps you hooked making you not want to look away or even pause the film for a second, in order to find out what will happen next. Although saying that, it is also slightly gory as Priest kills what I think are some of the vampire 'masters'. 

 Along with the amazing action, it has a pretty good soundtrack to go with it. Its eerie when necessary and so dramatic throughout the action packed shots. The sound effects are awesome as well, I've not before seen a film that puts in so much effort to how a knife sounds, but within Priest they've taken the extra effort to make sounds during the weapons use. It adds something amazing to what is already a really good film! 

Although it is so far from any film I would usually choose to watch, I thought it was such a good one and I'm glad I took the recommendation, so in turn I'll recommend it to anyone reading this. It might surprise you just as much as it did me. 

Until next time my lovelies, thanks for reading :) x 

Real Steel

Hello my lovelies, 

Hope you're all enjoying your summer. The weather is all over the place in the UK as per usual. Take me to somewhere sunny! Although I guess the saying is 'there's no place like home'. 

Before getting into the actual film itself, can I just say ooh Hugh Jackman! Everyone loves him right? I mean, how can you not?!

So first things first, Real Steel is an American science fiction/drama/sports film in which Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) builds and trains robots in order to take part in boxing matches, which Kenton used to do himself. Robots have basically taken over as boxers whilst humans control their actions in order to defeat their opponents and win the match.

Towards the beginning of the film Charlie learns that his ex-girlfriend died and that he has to attend court in order to find out who gains custody of his son Max (Dakota Goya), between either himself or Max's aunt Debra and her husband. Charlie takes care of Max over the summer with payment from Debra's husband to allow them to still enjoy their holiday by themselves.

Throughout the film, Charlie and Max work together leading to the final match with a robot called Atom. Their relationship gets stronger as they bond over getting Atom tough enough to fight against a stronger robot called Zeus.

I really enjoyed this film and the soundtrack played a huge part in making me like it so much. I have a huge love for Eminem so hearing him play in the soundtrack made it so much better. The acting from each of the cast members was also great, with the best of course being Hugh Jackman himself.

I found myself getting just as attached to Atom as Charlie and Max did, seeing them help him learn the moves he needed to fight his best against Zeus was actually kind of heart warming. If I could have a robot like that, I definitely would. Looks like fun having a robot friend, especially one that could mimic your every move. When he copies the dance that Max does into the arena it looks like so much fun! Made me wonder what it could actually be like in reality if robots were to become something more than just toys to us.

Real Steel featured romance, comedy, action and sci-fi which blended together made for an excellent film, and one that I would happily watch again and suggest to others as well.  I suggest when you get the chance, look it up and sit back, relax and watch it. 

Until next time my lovelies, thanks for reading :) x