my life in film

When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead

2012-01-28T20:15:00.008Z

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. I had the most fabulous two weeks at home and quite literally dragged my feet back to return to Germany (seriously. My parents thought it was hilarious). I only have a month or so left here before I move on to new horizons, namely my time in France! It's currently all rather stressful and up in the air, however I do know I shall be heading to Corsica - yes, Corsica! - to intern at museum there for a couple of months, which is rather lovely. After that, I have no idea. Living from moment to moment is frankly rather stressful but it shall all hopefully sort itself out and be entirely worth it. Besides, Spring and Summer in France seems heavenly at the moment.

The day before I returned here I spent a very hurried hour between packing screencapping these beautiful shots from a televised production of Alice in Wonderland: the ballet which showed over Christmas. I've talked before about the joy of theatre and stage, and the incredible creativity that is often employed there, but this particular one was mind blowing. The dancing itself was gorgeous, but it was the sets, costumes and inventive ideas in translating a children's book into a ballet which really struck me. Look and enjoy :)

(Props go to the Royal Ballet for dancing so beautifully and the BBC for showing it!)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2011-11-27T18:55:00.005Z

I've had a rather busy week - Advent (the four weeks before Christmas) has arrived and with it the traditional German Christmas markets. Christmas alone may make being in Germany completely worth it - I don't think any country does the twinkly-ness and good cheer of the holidays quite so well as here. I'll be showing pictures from the markets as I visit them (two so far, oh so many more to go...), but perhaps what I'm most excited by is my very first Christmas tree which I bought for my flat. Growing up my family didn't really celebrate Christmas so I never really got to do the whole decorating thing. But look how adorable this is! All I need now is a viewing of Love Actually and the Christmas spirit shall officially be upon me.

This is small town music, this is big town music

2011-11-20T12:06:00.003Z

I've liked this song for a while but recently stumbled across this alternative music video for it. Being in Germany means half of the content on YouTube won't work, which normally has me snarling at my laptop screen, but this time it's kind of worked out in my favour. Isn't it lovely? I love the concept of trying to record the sound of bubbles, sparklers, the song of a shell and happiness with your friends :)

Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.

2011-11-17T20:11:00.008Z

About a month ago Germany had the Herbstferien, or Autumn holidays. Because schools over here start so early in the year, compared to England at least, they also have a large Autumn holiday as well as a break over Christmas in order to break up the school year. Which meant that when my friends at home had barely been back at university for a week, I was off having a glorious two week break. I ended up spending a week of it doing absolutely nothing, and by absolutely nothing I mean absolutely nothing - sleeping in late, making stacks of pancakes and eating them in bed and watching the usual ridiculous amounts of television. Before you all take utter pity on me for my boring and lazy lifestyle, I did take the opportunity to spend the second half of the holidays interrailing around Germany with three other girls. We went all the way across the country in an epic eight-hour train ride to Dresden, which was cold, raining and rather dreary, but which also boasted some of the most beautiful architecture I'd seen since being in Germany. It's a sad fact that a lot of Germany was destroyed during the Second World War, which makes it unlike any other country I've ever been to - there's barely anything authentically old anywhere. Even though a lot of what we saw in Dresden was rebuilt copies of what had existed before, it was so well done that it still looked wonderful. As well as Dresden we also popped down to Munich, which was a gorgeous city I wished I could have spent much much more time in, and Lake Constance which was just breathtaking. Here are some of the snaps I took :)

It would be nice if something made sense for a change

2011-11-14T22:03:00.008Z

I have to do a presentation next week in the German course I'm taking on my favourite book. Even though I thought it may rather bore the rest of the class, most of whom aren't English and all of whom seem like rather serious grown-ups (I'm still not one. Ask me again in ten years.), I chose Alice in Wonderland, because I could talk about it for hours in English, so hopefully I can ramble on for ten minutes in German. Anyway, one of my favourite things about the books isn't in fact the story itself, however good that may be. Rather, I think it's what has captivated generations of children before me - the wonderfully charming illustrations by John Tenniel. These days there are so many editions of the Alice books that it's hard to find these original illustrations, but they remain by far my favourite. Tenniel takes all of the quirky, bizarre and beautiful things that Carroll writes about and transforms them into captivating art, so full of details lovingly drawn. I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at them. It's amazing how a series of simple line drawings have become so firmly ingrained in our culture, but personally I don't think the world would be the same without Alice, and Alice wouldn't have been the same without Tenniel. Just lovely.

The lion and the unicorn

Were fighting for the crown

The lion beat the unicorn

All around the town

Some gave them white bread

And some gave them brown

Some gave them plum cake

And drummed them out of town

I get this feeling I'm in motion, a sudden sense of liberty

2011-11-11T22:04:00.005Z

I've wanted to do outfit posts for a long while but I've always been surrounded by people and just too self-conscious to make it work. I now have a huge apartment to myself and loads of spare time, so I'm gonna start fiddling around and seeing if I can make it work.

I always get interested in girls who aren't right for me

2011-11-09T17:37:00.006Z

Isn't this a great homage to A Bout de Souffle? I love how effortless and intimate it looks.

Photography: Martyna Galla

I want you, I need you, I love you

2011-11-07T10:00:00.000Z

Isn't this the most perfect trailer you've seen in a long time? Absolutely cannot wait to watch the whole film!

For God's sake, kiss the girl

2011-11-05T22:28:00.004Z

Have had a lovely week made up of travelling around my state of Rheinland Pfalz (photos coming soon!), skyping friends back home (have currently been talking to six of my Oxford gang for over three hours) and watching Scrubs in German. I spent last weekend visiting another language assistant and we spent almost an entire day companionably drinking tea, listening to the radio and solving crossword puzzles. Although things are nowhere near as fun or exciting as last year, it is making me appreciate the smaller things in life - cooking and cosy days in watching TV, making book lists and taking walks.

Anyway, I wanted to introduce you to the tunes that have been dominating my Spotify playlist recently. Have you guys heard of Alex Day and Charlie McDonnell? They're two English guys in their early twenties who have become incredibly well known in the world of the web for their incredibly funny and quirky Youtube vlogs. I'm not particularly interested in video blogs as a rule as I find them rather awkward, but these two are just very charming and witty. Also Alex Reads Twilight is the best thing ever ever ever. Anyway, the two of them - as well as doing their own independent music work - are in a band called Chameleon Circuit. Which sings songs about Doctor Who. Um. So yeah, it's beyond levels of acceptable nerdiness but to be honest I think this is a good thing. Being away from Oxford makes me realise what a geek I really am and how much I love it. Also there's something so lovely about music at such an independent and almost homemade level - it feels like so much more care and effort has gone into it. So yeah, here are some of my favourite songs of the last couple of weeks.

- Heart on My Sleeve, Alex Day, Soup Sessions: Acoustic

- Kiss the Girl, Chameleon Circuit, Still Got Legs

- Missing You, Alex Day, The World is Mine

- Duet With Myself, Charlie McDonnell, This is Me

(how utterly adorable?)

It's consolation. All literature is consolation.

2011-11-02T11:00:00.000Z

Scripps: Oh Pos, with your spaniel heart. It will pass.

Posner: Yes, it's a phase. Who says I want it to pass? But the pain, the *pain*.

Scripps: Hector would say it's the only education worth having.

Posner: Yes. I just wish there were marks for it.

Come little children, I'll take thee away

2011-10-31T10:00:00.000Z

When I was little my family and I had a little Hallowe'en tradition. We were never allowed to go out trick or treating - my parents just didn't approve - but my dad would get a pumpkin and help us carve it, we would get scary themed treats from Marks and Spencers (my favourites were ghost-shaped sweets and a chocolate skeleton jigsaw), and we'd have a huge picnic in front of the TV and watch scary movies. And by scary I mean what 8 year-old me found scary - Indiana Jones, Jason and the Argonauts and my particular favourite: Hocus Pocus. And by some wonderful chance yesterday evening I was messing around on youtube when I discovered the full movie online and rewatched it. And it was awesome.

The film tells the story of an eventful Hallowe'en night in the lives of Max and Danni Dennison, brother and sister who have recently been made to move from LA to the tiny and spooky town of Salem. When forced to take his little sister out trick or treating, Max breaks into an abandoned house said to have belonged to three evil witches and lights the Black Flame Candle in an attempt to impress his crush, Allison. Rather, he ends up unwittingly awakening said Sanderson Sisters and unleashing them upon the town of Salem and its children, whose life essence the witches must steal in order to stay immortal. It's pretty standard fare as far as a family Hallowe'en film goes, but what makes it such a great film is the energy, warmth and humour that goes into it. There are some great performances, particularly from Bette Midler as the villain of the piece - shrill, bad-tempered and with incredible dead-pan comic timing. Omri Katz (whatever happened to him?!) is also great as Max, playing the typical teenager without the usual dreaded angst and anger. The whole film pans out very tongue-in-cheek, complete with talking black cat, over-the-top costumes and a friendly zombie, but it's this that makes it so fresh and amusing, as opposed to try-hard and awkward. Plus it's just so cult and nostalgic, and such a comforting slice of childhood - like rewatching a Disney film after decades have passed. Although I did find aspects of it a little weird - I used to have the hugest crush on Max when I was little and now he looks like a child. God I hate growing up.

Home, let me come home, home is wherever I'm with you

2011-10-29T18:01:00.004+01:00

So I'm in Germany now. I've actually been here since mid-September but I'm slightly ashamed to say I've been sunk too deep in a pit of lethargy and depression to muster the energy to write. It's bizarre, things are the complete opposite of the last two years: I actually have bucket loads of spare time and practically nothing to do, but I find this so tragic that I often spend whole days not moving from my bed or desk, watching whole seasons of TV shows in one go. Seriously, it's almost impressive. I'm trying desperately to snap out of this though, as I'm kind of slowly going mad, so here we go.

Germany's actually all right. I'm a language assistant at a secondary school, which means I go in four mornings a week for a few hours and help out in English classes. At first I absolutely hated it, I can be rather shy and being faced with classloads of scary teenagers filled me with dread every single morning. I'm getting more into it now though, I have a few favourite classes where the kids are amusing, enthusiastic and sweet, and while I would never do it for a permanent career, I quite like the sensation of teaching, albeit in my signature laidback manner. The teachers at the school are lovely too: the staffroom is quite big so it's very easy to get lost but I have a mentor teacher who keeps an eye on me, invites me round to hers for tea and generally keeps my spirits up, and I'm slowly getting to know other teachers too. I've also been blessed with an angelic landlady - she lives below me and is an absolute babe. I've christened her Oma #2 and she comes up every week to help me clean my flat, bakes me cakes, reads through all official letters I get to check all is OK and takes me out sometimes to markets. Seriously love her. I've also gone travelling a couple of times, including a week long interrailing trip around South Germany which I shall tell about later. I have more travels planned (if ever I get paid...) which should be exciting. Really the only problem is the isolation - it's a small town and very hard to meet people, and I just miss Oxford and my friends so much. Still, I'm trying positive thinking from now, so hopefully it'll all work out! Anywho, below are a couple of snaps I took of towns nearby where I live. Pretty, hey?

Awaken then

2011-09-09T16:11:00.014+01:00

I've just returned from watching the newest version of of Jane Eyre at the cinema - the first showing on the first day of its release, God I'm keen. I utterly adore the book by Charlotte Bronte, I really like both Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender and I thought the trailer looked stunning. All in all I went into the cinema with high expectations, fully hoping to like it, but also very wary.

Now, the story of Jane Eyre is surely familiar to all, but for those who have been living beneath an unliterary rock for the past century or so, Jane Eyre is the story of a young downtrodden woman who takes a post as governess at the foreboding Thornfield Hall. There she meets her master Mr Rochester and falls in love, little knowing he is hiding a terrible secret...a marvel when it was first released, Jane Eyre is still to this day remarkable for its strong themes of feminine independence, passionate love and scandal. It is however an intensely complex novel to pack into one film, and I think it is the way this adaptation deals with that that I found the most interesting (and ironically what my mother, who came with me and is if anything an even greater fan than me, disapproved of the most). Knowing that every plot point could not possibly be fitted into the film, the director (Cary Fukunaga) seems to have instead chosen to concentrate on certain details and aspects of the story, in particular Jane's character and the choices and obstacles she is faced with throughout her life. This can be frustrating sometimes, as certain beloved scenes are missed out which otherwise contribute to the story of Mr Rochester or the romance between them, and indeed the film does have a certain rushed shortened quality to it which is a shame, however overall it manages to strike a deep chord and fully explore the character of Jane Eyre. Wasikowska plays a strong, grave, independent Jane, who although lacking in slight playfulness, is deeply passionate and a sympathetic character. Mr Rochester as portrayed by Michael Fassbender is a Byronic, tortured and passionate soul, and although again the sarcastic witty side to Mr Rochester is lacking, Fassbender plays him with such depth and character that it's impossible not to fall in love. And indeed this is the crux of the matter - this adaptation is very different to previous ones because it does not try to stick too closely to the book, rather it is far darker, Gothic, brooding and romantic. Although very well written, it is the silences and the visual side of the performances and cinematography that matter just as much. Perhaps unusual in a period drama, which usually features a lot of talking, but this raw, physical adaptation is perfect in its own way. Beautifully made and arresting to watch - with a gorgeous score by Dario Marianelli who just keeps winning my undying love - this may not be the most loyal adaptation and may not even be my favourite (I do have great love for the BBC version) but it is certainly wonderful in its own right.

You can't take the sky from me

2011-09-06T11:58:00.003+01:00

Simon: I'm trying to put this as delicately as I can...how do I know you won't kill me in my sleep?
Mal: You don't know me, son, so let me explain this to you once: If I ever kill you, you'll be awake. You'll be facing me. And you'll be armed.
Simon: Are you always this sentimental?
Mal: I had a good day.
Simon: You had the Alliance on you, criminals and savages... half the people on the ship have been shot or wounded including yourself, and you're harboring known fugitives.
Mal: We're still flying.
Simon: That's not much.
Mal: It's enough.

Oh, Calamity!

2011-09-04T12:53:00.009+01:00

Although nowadays my parents are fairly impatient with my choice in movies, I do actually owe my current film taste to them. Unlike some kids, I wasn't brought up on a diet of Americanised, hyper-coloured and pointless cartoons - naturally I watched Disney films like any kid, but we all know that's different - rather, I remember watching almost grown-up and classic films from a young age. The Clash of the Titans has been a favourite of mine since I was eight, and I was utterly obsessed with the 1938 version of Robin Hood. It's probably one of the reasons that I don't now shy away from a movie just 'cos it's "old" - it's that quality in fact which I adore.

One such film which I adored - and still do - is the 1953 musical Calamity Jane. It belongs to a series of films made at the time, such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or Annie Get Your Gun: chirpy and colourful Wild West musicals which were just so fun and charming to watch. As far as I'm concerned, Calamity Jane is one of the most underrated yet most wonderful of all of these. It tells the adventures of Calamity Jane, a young woman living in the Wild West who has firmly integrated herself in the male-orientated society by, well, pretty much becoming one. Slightly clumsy, quick tempered and impetuous, Calamity Jane is a simply wonderful character - played gloriously by Doris Day who somehow, despite her gorgeous face and voice, manages to pull off tomboy exceptionally well. Her relationship with Wild Bill Hickok (Howard Keel) is beautifully portrayed - the chemistry between them is just stunning, and in both their humorous and tender moments they are just perfect together; he being so tall and she so tiny, they are just an adorable couple. The songs too are wonderful, wittily written and full of energy and the cinematography is bright and sweeping, like any good film of the 50s. Altogether this film is a treat, and if you haven't been lucky enough as me to experience it since your childhood, well, what are you waiting for?!

Spin me around, I don't want to go home

2011-09-02T12:40:00.004+01:00

How happy is this song? I know it's by an X-Factor runner up and therefore, you know, unacceptable to like, but hey, I do like it. Life is stressful atm - I'm looking homelessness straight in the face in less than two weeks - so frankly I need something chirpy and upbeat ^_^

Was there only one world after all which spent its time dreaming of others?

2011-08-31T23:14:00.010+01:00

In the last few days before term ended I suddenly realised that I hadn't, in the last few years, taken any photos of Oxford at all. It's bizarre really as it's such a photogenic place and I'm so in love with it but truth be told, we have a friend who has a very good camera and is the "photographer" of our group so I just got into the habit of not taking photos. So on my very last day my friends and I went on a long walk around my favourite parts of Oxford and my lovely college and I snapped away, knowing I wouldn't be seeing the place for several months. It's kind of bittersweet looking at these again, but it's such a glorious place that I'm happy to share my home with you all :) The bench is from the Botanical Gardens and was mentioned in The Amber Spyglass and the last four photos of are of my college and its grounds.

“I did not ask to be born, but once born, I will fight to live. All life is precious - even mine.”

2011-08-23T14:40:00.020+01:00

"Is this the region, this the soil, the clime, said then the lost archangel, is this the seat that we must change for heaven, this mournful gloom for that celestial light?"
"That's Paradise Lost. You've read Paradise Lost?"
"I liked it."
"You saw yourself as Adam?"
"I should be Adam. God was proud of Adam. But Satan is the one I sympathise with. For I was cast out like Satan, though I did no wrong, and when I see others content I feel the bile rise in my throat, and it tastes like Satan's bile."

Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old

2011-08-21T16:20:00.005+01:00

I'm kind of stealing from Andrew's Scene on a Sunday thang (oh my god, today's Sunday! Totally did not intend for things to match up so neatly....), although of course I will do it nowhere as good as he does. But this scene has been playing on my mind for a while now, or rather the film(s) has/ve. You see, I adore the Lord of the Rings movies but I do struggle to write about them because they're just so epic and grand and wonderful that there doesn't seem to be a way to reduce them to a few sentences. This scene though kind of sums up why I adore them so much - the scale, the magnificence, gorgeous cinematography, grave acting, it's all just so perfect. As the boats bearing the Fellowship travel along the river, all of a sudden from behind the gorgeous scenery the Argonath emerge, huge breathtaking statues of wise, grave, heroic looking kings. The look of awe and pride on the faces of the Fellowship combined with the sheer scale and the chill-giving score...it's just so so so perfect it couldn't be perfect-er :)

Something here doesn't make sense. Let's go and poke it with a stick.

2011-08-17T20:12:00.001+01:00

I haven't really been watching many films in the past few months and the ones I have watched merely made up lazy movie nights with friends (such as when we watched The Two Towers on my last night in Oxford and couldn't stop quoting this). However, I have got into probably four or five new TV shows - most of them cult sci-fi-y fantasy type stuff that I can't really believe I had never seen before. One such is Doctor Who - and yes, I'm fully aware that by discussing this my blog has now descended into such deep geek territory that there is no turning back but there we go - a show that has in a very short time become one of my favourites. A classic British program, I started watching the new series when I was dragged along by a friend to the TV room and all of a sudden I finally saw what all the fuss was about. It's probably very obvious, but I adore wackiness, I adore stylishness, and I adore creativity and this show is a perfect blend of all three, and so much more. Doctor Who sometimes give the strange impression of having been written by an overexcited eight-year-old (this is a high compliment) - with its terrifying yet bizarre monsters, eccentric characters and sudden leaps from storylines, but this is what makes it so brilliant - it is fast moving and fearless, and by not trying to be sophisticated it does in fact achieve a timelessness and beauty that is simply unsurpassed. (I reread the last sentence and realised I was gushing, on the Internet, about Doctor Who. Such a nerd). Small confession - I've only ever seen the serieses which Matt Smith has starred in, which I suppose makes me less of an unshakably loyal fan of the show and more of a fan of Matt Smith' adaptation. But still, I can't imagine it getting much better than this - Smith is funny, charming, bold, sweet and simply mad as the Doctor and makes the character utterly his own, something which I imagine is quite difficult to do with ten other people having played the same role previously. The supporting cast are all excellent too, they in turn supported by an always wonderfully written script that, in its wittiness and craziness, is always so quintessentially British, and despite the complex time shifts and overarching storylines always exhilarating-ly simple and fun to follow. I should stop gushing now so I will, but suffice it to say that this is a slick, fun and fabulous show which everyone should unashamedly become a fan of right now.

"There's something you better understand about me, 'cause it's important and one day your life may depend on it. … I am definitely a madman with a box."

Ni Hao!

2011-08-15T16:24:00.011+01:00

I'm back from China and it was simply lovely! I hadn't been out of Europe in over a decade so everything, the long distant flight, the non-European culture, the language was utterly unfamiliar and a massive adventure. I spent most of my time in Shanghai before travelling up for a few days to Beijing. Shanghai was by far my favourite of the two cities, although I think this is probably just because I had time to really get to know it better. It's kind of the experience I had with Paris last year - I didn't love every minute of it and definitely ran into a few problems while there, but because I lived there and it was my home there's a little part of me that will always miss it and the familiarity. Anyway, here's a few photos I snapped, (I took over 500 but I won't be putting them all on here as I think this blog strains people's internet connections enough already!), isn't it all so exotic and gorgeous?

(Update: Have sorted through photos and OK, there's still quite a few...sorrrrry).

01. Longhua Temple 02. Lots of little Buddhas :)

03. The Bund 04. My Chinese education involved dumpling making

05. Awesome tea 06. People's Park

07. Dude got skillz 08. A Chinese water village

09. Hehe 10. The Forbidden City (into Beijing now)

11. Forbidden City's gardens 12. Tienanmen Square

13. District 798 y'all 14. Some awesome installation

15. I called every dragon I saw Mushu 16. Bridge in the Summer Palace

17. Practising calligraphy :) 18. The Summer Palace is gorgeous

19. Mountains! 20. The Great Wall, bitches.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler, long I stood

2011-07-15T18:00:00.000+01:00

The more I prepare for next year, the more nervous I become - something that would be hilariously ironic if it weren't just plain annoying. I'm therefore trying to distract myself from the practicalities of my year abroad (such as, um, where I'm going to live) by thinking of what a lovely adventure it will be. Funnily enough, as it often does in my world, film is beginning to reflect life in this way. A week before I left Oxford, one of my French tutors decided - in a misguided attempt to get us excited about next year - to show us L'Auberge Espagnol. To be honest, I don't think I would have enjoyed it much under any circumstances: it's the kind of slightly harsh, jarring and almost pretentious foreign film that really irritates me. In my context though it was hell. Word to the wise - do not watch L'Auberge Espagnol if you're about to go off for a year to live by yourself abroad. The entire film is a blur of language difficulties, ruined relationships, unfamiliar places and terrible roommates. My tutor switched the film off to find herself rather taken aback by our terrified faces. Just...not recommended. Luckily though I stumbled across this ad campaign by Education First which makes living in a new country look so pretty and charming that I can almost fool myself that next year will go by smoothly.

Look beyond the paint

2011-07-13T23:31:00.003+01:00

Katherine: "Carcass", by Soutine, 1925. Is it any good? C'mon, ladies, there's no wrong answer. There's also no textbook telling you what to think. It's not that easy, is it?
Betty: Alright, no. It's not good. In fact, I wouldn't even call it art. It's grotesque.
Connie: Is there a rule against art being grotesque?
Giselle: I think there's something aggressive about it. And erotic.
Betty: To you, everything is erotic.
Giselle: Everything *is* erotic.
Susan: Aren't there standards?
Betty: Of course there are! Otherwise, a tacky velvet painting could be equated to a Rembrandt!
Connie: Hey, my Uncle Ferdie has two tacky velvet paintings. He loves those clowns.
Betty: There *are* standards! Technique, composition, color, even subject. So, if you're suggesting that rotted side of meat is art, much less *good* art, then what are we going to learn?
Katherine: Just that. You have outlined our new syllabus, Betty, thank you. What is art? What makes it good or bad, and who decides?

Do you ever feel under pressure to be "good" at films, "good" at art, "good" at music? I certainly do. Amongst my friends I'm known as the arty cinephile who has a bizarre and eclectic taste in films, fashion and books, and although I love this identity, sometimes I find it terrifying - all of a sudden my love for these things doesn't come from a natural emotion or instinct, rather it's me trying to be correct and pick the right ones. It's the same in my degree. The course in Oxford actually majors in literature more than anything else, which means I'm often writing an essay on a book by say Sartre or Baudelaire, something everyone considers a masterpiece, a work of genius, and although I'm frankly bored by it and don't like it at all, I still feel like I have to, just so I have "good taste". The above film is actually a great example of this. Mona Lisa Smile was panned by critics and considered a worse version of The Dead Poet's Society. I however consider it one of my favourite feel-good films and turn to it for familiar wonderful company several times a year. The same is true of many other "bad" films - A Good Year, National Treasure....and whenever they're brought up, a little part of me wants to agree with everyone else's derision and scorn, or at the very least to keep quiet - because I don't want to be thought of as having bad taste.

Personally though, I feel this attitude runs against the very concept of art. For me, liking a film, liking a book, liking an outfit...it's kind of like (forgive the ridiculousness of the following statement) falling in love. It's something kind of instinctive and natural and personal. People like art for different reasons - they can relate to it, they find it beautiful, they think it expresses something they understand or find fascinating - but whatever the reason, it's nothing that can be quantified or regulated. There are a lot of films out there that I don't like, and there are some films which - I'm sorry - are just plain bad. Paris Hilton for example should never be allowed near a camera crew again. But I think to feel under pressure for one's tastes, and to start seeing films not as something pleasurable but rather as a medal or a trophy, is kind of defeating the point. Which is why you'll find me tomorrow doing the ironing in front of Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. What can I say, I'm still a teenager at heart.

Where the little people dwell...

2011-07-08T21:08:00.004+01:00

Many people are probably familiar with The Little People Project, but I've recently discovered work by an artist named Christopher Boffoli who does something similar, but with products that can be found in a grocers. The series of photos is entitled "Disparity" and examines the subject of perspective and the way it can be manipulated to create art. Plus, aren't they just so cute?

'What do the dead do, uncle? Do they eat, hear music, go a-hunting and be merry, as we that live?'

2011-07-07T00:41:00.009+01:00

I'm back I'm back I'm back ^_^ Not only has term ended this time, but in fact my entire second year at university is over - a fact that, well, utterly terrifies me. How fast does time pass by?! Now that term and the academic year (and all its pressures - damn you essays and social obligations!) are over, I feel I can reveal a few snapshots of what my future is looking like at the moment. As you probably know, I study French and German and - as a languages student - I'm obliged to take my third year out to live abroad improving my language skills. And, um, third year is now upon me. I'm finding the whole thing a bit bizarre to be honest - over the past couple of years Oxford has become my home and the idea of leaving it and all my friends fills me with sadness and dread. On the other hand - dude, I have an excuse to travel and see so many exciting new things, and luckily I'm the type of person who will find the fun in anything so hopefully it should be an amazing year! So as of September I'm relocating for six months to a town called Worms (I know, I know) in south-west Germany to be a language assistant at a secondary school there! I can't quite believe I'm typing that sentence - it's such a grown up thing to do! After that I'll be doing some work experience in France, hopefully in a museum or gallery of some kind - but I'm not sure exactly where yet. Isn't it all exciting? And if that wasn't enough, I'm going away in two weeks time to spend just under a month in...wait for it...Shanghai! It's part of a programme called Study China which, if you're a student in the UK you should definitely apply for. So, um yeah! I won't be seeing much of England in the next year, that's for sure! But I will be updating on all the exciting things I'm doing - just writing this is filling me yet again with wanderlust and a craving for adventure. And as I'm never satisfied, let me share with you another place I one day hope to have adventures in.

I want to travel to all sorts of places - the Middle East, the United States - but one place I never really considered was Latin America. That is, until I reread the outstanding book The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris and a couple of days later watched a documentary on the Mexican festival The Day of the Dead. My thoughts? Um, please someone take me to Mexico?! I hate violence and I hate horror but I do love the macabre, I love folk traditions and I love colour and this festival seems a perfect blend of all. One day...

Screencaps taken by me from the BBC documentary "Feasts: Mexico".

I need to be bold, need to jump in the cold water, need to grow older with a girl like you

2011-04-19T23:40:00.005+01:00

There are some musicians or bands that just feel like old friends or family. I love discovering new songs and playing them over and over (my friends constantly tease me about this slightly obsessive quirk), creating new playlists and falling in love with new artists, but it's always a wonderfully comforting feeling to type in a familiar name into iTunes and relisten to all the old favourites. One of these artists for me is Joshua Radin - a love that developed after hearing his songs again and again on Scrubs. His songs are so well listened to that sometimes I'll just forget about him and then suddenly a lyric will pop into my head or (like today) a song will play in a café and I'll just remember everything that's wonderful about his beautiful voice and his expressive lyrics and just fall in love all over again.

26. Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (1988)

2011-04-17T23:06:00.005+01:00

What I love most about this film is that it's just so warm and alive, all about human passions and emotions - love, grief, regret, nostalgia, - and all about the great and little joys in life and the relationships we form, whether lifelong friendships, love affairs or even our relationship with art. It's pretty much the epitome of everything I love: film, sunshine, romance, childhood, it's all there. Simply gorgeous.

A slipper by the fireplace, a cello lying in it's case

2011-04-13T23:00:00.000+01:00

Isn't this photoshoot from Vogue Italia simply divine? Keira Knightley is absolutely gorgeous, the ruffles and lace juxtapose beautifully with the tough wellies and the whole thing has the feel of a gloriously dreamy and playful Nouvelle Vague film.

Photos by Ellen von Unwerth, from Vogue Italia.

27. About a Boy (2002)

2011-04-11T23:16:00.004+01:00

This film is so many things at once. A classic British comedy, a buddy movie, a life-lesson. Based on a book by Nick Hornby, the man who brought us the screenplay to An Education, it is a touching and humourous look at the unexpected friendship that develops between the rich and self-absorbed Will (Hugh Grant) and the lonely and precocious Marcus (Nicholas Hoult). The film is an absolute favourite of mine and my brother's (who I think maybe idolises Hugh Grant's character a bit too much ^_^) and I've seen it so many times but I'm always struck anew by how funny and perceptive an examination of growing up it is. Hugh Grant, abandoning his usual part of the bumbling foppish Englishman, plays Will's selfishness with charm and a touch of vulnerability, creating a lively and sympathetic character, and Nicholas Hoult is simultaneously adorable and impressive. A gem of a film.

Oh Bert...

2011-04-07T22:20:00.003+01:00

I almost never discuss political things on this blog. It's not that I'm not opinionated - I am, very much so - but just because I consider this blog to be like a dinner table: no talking about politics or money. Also my blog , as seen on the sidebar, is intended to be dedicated to all things artistic and pretty, and politics is rarely artistic and never pretty. Still, even though it's a bit late, I couldn't resist sharing with you some of my favourite placards and signs from Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity. For one thing, I consider these placards as a sort of art - they're creative and they express something about the emotional and mental state of the creator. Plus they're just plain hilarious. And, as far as I'm concerned, toleration and moderation aren't politics - they're just everyday humanity.

And, just because I love him.

Brideshead Revisited

2011-04-05T20:49:00.006+01:00

Blah blah, horribly busy term, copy and paste previous excuses.

So how is everyone? I'm back at home for a few weeks break, mainly preparing next term's work, apprehensively looking at post-degree options (turns out I'm a planner. Who knew?), rereading His Dark Materials and obsessively watching Castle and deciding that Castle is my new favourite person and that I a) want to be Detective Beckett when I grow up and b) want to learn to wear high heels just like her, before heading back up to Oxford for Trinity term, which I'm already anticipating will be my favourite one of the year. Sunshine, no exams, drinking Pimms all day, punting - it sounds like heaven.

And utterly idealised I know. Because the truth is, we don't just lounge about wearing silly gowns in historical buildings and reciting poetry, but after watching Brideshead Revisted on iPlayer over term, I've decided to substitute Julian Jarrold's vision of Oxford for reality because frankly, it looks like fun. My friend, halfway through innumerable essays, rowing training and a thesis proposal, raved wistfully about it almost continuously for a while, and it's not hard to see why. Set in pre-war England, Brideshead Revisited tells the story of a young man's relationship with the aristocratic Marchmain family, and the tragic effects they have on his life. Charles Ryder comes up to Oxford from a relatively non-wealthy background and is immediately befriended by Sebastian Flyte, a flamboyantly gay and hedonistic, yet deeply vulnerable and damaged young man. Sebastian takes him to his home, Brideshead, where Charles meets Sebastian's sister Julia (the lovely Hayley Atwell) and his formidable mother (Emma Thompson). Charles is quickly adopted into the family, but when he falls in love with Julia, his ties with the family are fatally damaged.

I've never read the original book and nor have I seen the much acclaimed television adaptation, so I watched the film with a relatively fresh mind. And I enjoyed it quite a lot. It's a very beautiful film, with gorgeous shots of Oxford, the English countryside, Venice and even at one point Morocco, all looking almost impossibly gorgeous. The costumes were lovely, although admittedly it is hard not to make the fashion of the 20s/30s look good. The performances were also very impressive. Matthew Goode, better known on this blog as Colin-Firth's-love-interest-in-A-Single-Man-god-I-love-that-film played Charles Ryder wonderfully, perfectly portraying the passionate yet kind outsider figure. Ben Whishaw who I hadn't seen before is magnificent as the emotionally unstable Sebastian, and his fate at the end is possibly the most tragic part. The soundtrack is also one of the most lovely things I've heard in a long time.

However, despite all this beauty, there is definitely something lacking. The phrase "all style no substance" tends to come to mind when watching it - it's delightfully and carefully made, but the material itself tends to fall a little flat and the themes that are dealt with - such as religion, class and identity - are never thoroughly explored, leaving the ending a little empty and not quite as profound as the director (or indeed Evelyn Waugh himself) probably had in mind. From what I gather, the book itself is incredibly complex and intelligent, whereas this film adaptation is unfortunately a pretty but slightly average period drama. Nevertheless it is pretty and certainly entertaining - definitely worth two hours of your time.

A subtle kiss that no one sees, a broken wrist and a big trapeze

2011-02-02T17:44:00.003Z

I've been listening to The Killers way too much recently. Anyway, work has been completely swamping me recently - even this week when I managed to get all my work done on Monday I still have so much to organise for the University newspaper, the Modern Languages Society, the college's DVD collection and the Art's Week our college is putting in a a short while. Ack, so so busy but I absolutely love it - it means I'm actually being so much more organised with my classwork and essays and besides, everything I do I enjoy :)

The Arts Week is particularly exciting - I'm helping out with the finale which will be a massive celebration of all the art and talent in our college, including a mini fashion show! We were originally planning on basing it around outfits inspired by different arts movements throughout the ages, but realised that was quite tricky so instead are doing recycled fashion. However back when were basing it on different art movements I stumbled across this blog which was a endless source of inspiration. Miss Moss has taken different outfits or photos and matched them up with various paintings and works of art. It's bizarre, you wouldn't think it of some of them but it just goes to show how there is art everywhere in everything we do :) She's done several serieses so expect me to share some more!

(Citizen Couture/Edgar Degas)

(Altamira/ Annie French)

(Citizen Couture/ Cecilio Pla Y Gallardo)

(Stockholm Street Style/ Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec)

(Vanessa Jackman/ Seymour Joesph Guy)

(Mr Newton/ Henri Martin)

28. Some Like It Hot (1959)

2011-01-31T21:22:00.004Z

Ack, I'm sorry I'm sorry, things have been horrendously busy! Back on track now though. Uninteresting post today until I get some new things up. Luckily though, this film is just so brilliant that hopefully its mere presence makes up for my uselessness?

29. Rebecca (1940)

2011-01-24T21:25:00.003Z

One of Hitchcock's most atmospheric and threatening thrillers, making incredible use of shadows, close ups and unsettling music, and featuring brilliantly chilling performances from Laurence Olivier and Judith Anderson - this is nothing short of a masterpiece of cinema and deservingly won Hitchock's (alas) only Academy Award for Best Picture. The fear that Joan Fontaine's Rebecca fears throughout is disturbingly real, and as ever, Hitchcock has no scruples about shocking and unnerving the audience. Truly extraordinary.

"Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter for the way was barred to me. Then, like all dreamers, I was possessed of a sudden with supernatural powers and passed like a spirit through the barrier before me. The drive wound away in front of me, twisting and turning as it had always done. But as I advanced, I was aware that a change had come upon it. Nature had come into her own again, and little by little had encroached upon the drive with long tenacious fingers, on and on while the poor thread that had once been our drive. And finally, there was Manderley - Manderley - secretive and silent. Time could not mar the perfect symmetry of those walls. Moonlight can play odd tricks upon the fancy, and suddenly it seemed to me that light came from the windows. And then a cloud came upon the moon and hovered an instant like a dark hand before a face. The illusion went with it. I looked upon a desolate shell, with no whisper of the past about its staring walls. We can never go back to Manderley again."

Awoken by a cloud of steam, she pours a daydream in a cup, a spoon of sugar sweetens up

2011-01-20T22:08:00.004Z

Just a very quick one today, as like Hermione Granger, I will pretty soon be using a book as a pillow if I don't get to bed sharpish. Term has started properly and although I'm massively enjoying all my work so far - which is always very promising - I am so so busy and tired. This song and the music video are so very very stunning though that I don't feel bad just filling one post with them. Stop motion always magically makes everything appear ten thousand times more beautiful and dreamy than it already is, and Oren Lavie's voice is just so...cosy :)

The city that never sleeps...

2011-01-18T22:59:00.003Z

I haven't travelled nearly as much as I would like to but the little I have seen the world shows me exactly how diverse it is. Take a look at capital cities - the centre of each country and widely considered to represent the best of its culture, history and arts. Yet how disparate each one is! Even when close to each other, they vary so enormously - London is completely different to Paris which is completely different to Berlin which is completely different to Rome. Although throughout my life I'd like to be so well travelled so as to not only go to the "main" cities and the tourist hotspots, for now I would settle for seeing the most famous and beloved sights of our world.

Which brings me onto Paris versus New York, a blog showing an artistic comparison between two of the most famous and cosmopolitan cities ever, yet as seen in the beautiful, funny prints, completely opposite and individual. Looking at them just makes me want to go to both Paris and New York and decide for myself :)

"When I speak, I speak for them. But I can't speak."

2011-01-14T22:00:00.000Z

"War with Germany will come. And we will need a King that we can all stand behind," booms Winston Churchill, staring beadily at George VI. In a time when the country was in turmoil - war was looming over the horizon, King Edward VIII had abdicated after only a few months in power and the people were fast losing their faith in the monarchy - a shy retiring man with a speech impediment is forced onto the throne of Britain and into the public eye, with only one ordinary man to help him get through it. This is the premise of The King's Speech, the film that has taken this country by storm over the past couple of weeks. Taking place over the years just before World War II, it details George VI's (Colin Firth) unexpected rise to the throne and the debilitating stutter he overcame with the help of his wife (Helena Bonham Carter), and in particular his speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).

And it's not hard to see why it has had so much success. Everywhere you turn, the film is brilliantly made. The script by David Seidler is absolutely perfect and, cliché as it is to say, very British: warm, humorous, touching and sharp, it utterly encapsulates the tentative yet eventual close bond between the Bertie and Lionel, as well as Bertie's own internal struggles to overcome both his condition and his fears. The setting of an impending war was also delicately and movingly handled - I teared up several times as the country and the royal family prepared themselves for the difficult years ahead. However, a brilliant script would be left flat without the right actors to bring it to life and this film in particular with its understated script and emotional matter required actors with oodles of subtlety, charm and talent. Luckily, they found all the right ones. Bonham Carter was her usual witty, brilliant self, playing the future Queen Mother with great dignity and affection. Geoffrey Rush - or Captain Barbossa as I will always think of him (I'M SORRY) - was fantastically funny and down to earth, playing a perfect contrast to the stiffness and poise of the royals, and having great on screen chemistry with Colin Firth. And speaking of, well, all I can say is that I am so glad that he's finally broken out of his previous typecast romantic roles. He was loveable in those, but in these dramas he brings such charm, vulnerability and emotion to the role that...it is truly a pleasure to watch. The film was also a pleasure to listen to, Alexandre Desplat providing another fantastically moving score. He does churn them out these days. The visuals were also brilliant - the grey green colour scheme worked perfectly in portraying the England of the thirties, and the costumes were understated elegance.

I guess my review is fairly positive to say the least, and indeed writing it has reminded me how much I did actually enjoy the film. However I feel I do have to say that I did leave the cinema feeling the teeniest bit disappointed. Not because it is a bad film, because it's not in any shape or form, but I think because after all the hype I was expecting a true masterpiece and, while excellent, it just isn't that. Maybe I walked into it thinking I was about to watch another A Single Man, which just wasn't the case. I loved the film. I thought it was amazing, and I think it deserves lots of awards and accolades. But it doesn't have the place in my heart that Firth's previous film does, and if were to choose between them, I'm afraid this wouldn't make it.

Nevertheless it is a wonderful film in its own right and one which you should all rush out and watch.

A Private World

2011-01-11T22:13:00.004Z

One of my favourite aspects of fashion is its easy collaboration and merging with other forms of art. I looked at the strong ties between fashion and film, but something that is beginning to interest me more and more is the link between fashion and fine art. During this term, our college's Arts Committee is putting on a fashion show which I'm helping to organise, inspired by different movements of art. As soon as I saw this frankly stunning editorial I was immediately inspired. The photos look like beautiful Romantic paintings, the clothes are gorgeous, and there is something so other-wordly and mysterious about it that I simply cannot look away. Well done Tim Walker.

Photographer: Tim Walker

Model: Sunniva Stordahl

Magazine: Vogue Italia

30. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

2011-01-10T23:32:00.004Z

The human intellect is possibly one of the most mysterious, complex and beautiful concepts of our time. No one truly knows how it works, yet it is where our humanity comes from, where creativity originates and where original ideas are born. Yet it is also a fragile and frightening thing. A Beautiful Mind, the incredible story of the mathematical genius John Nash, explores the beauty of genius and what happens when one becomes trapped in the power of the mind.

Russell Crowe plays John Nash, an outsider at Princeton University - a man who sees the world in numbers and is considered a genius amongst his peers, yet whose mind betrays him and creates a whole other world that he cannot differentiate from reality. Although I haven't really seen Rusell Crowe in much else, I respect him immensely as an actor, just for this one performance. He plays John Nash with an awkward sensitivity, and with a heart beneath the brains. His slow unravelling as he descends unknowingly into his imagined world is heartbreaking to watch, and his desperation to succeed and control his mind, even when it is beyond control, is by turns inspiring and tragic - yet he never resorts to melodrama, rather he keeps Nash's realness and humanity throughout. Jennifer Connelly is another actor who I haven't seen in much, but again, she has a place in my heart just for this film. She plays Nash's wife with such kindness, perseverance and loyalty that it's impossible not to fall in love with her. The film's various components are all high-class, a well written script, beautiful music by James Horner, yet it is the performances by the two leads that cement it as one of my favourite films. Touching, inspirational, harrowing and funny, it's a well crafted modern masterpiece.

"Imagine if you suddenly learnt that the people, the places, the moments most important to you were not gone, not dead, but worse, had never been. What kind of a hell would that be?"

Now if she does it like this, will you do it like that?

2011-01-06T22:18:00.004Z

My playlist to the last couple of weeks. I have a feeling this is becoming slightly repetitive so will try and stop doing it so often but a) it's one o'clock in the morning and I have to be up at eight tomorrow, b) it's been a horrendous day of packing and driving and dragging suitcases and finally being back in Oxford with everything strewn everywhere and my room in a state and c) well, I'm just quite lazy. But the songs are pretty at any rate...

01. Time is Running Out by Muse.

One of my guy friends was very surprised that I listen to stuff like Muse and Pendulum. While I'm not the massive-est fan and certainly prefer my indie acoustic gems, I do have a soft spot for these loud, grating and strangely soulful tunes. Artists such Regina Spektor and The Shins are brilliant, no doubt about it, but this is the sort of music you really become lost in. And this track is just awesome.

02. Better Together by Jack Johnson

But just so no one thinks I'm abandoning my usual tastes, I hav ebeen listening to Jack Johnson on repeat for a long time. So charming.

03. Bubbles by Biffy Clyro

When I first heard this song on the radio it confused me a tad, it seemed like a strange mixture of folk and rock. And in a way I still see it like that, it has the heart behind folk music and the gritty melody of the best of rock. And the lyrics are just lovely.

04. Bad Touch by The Bloodhound Gang

This song is just so funny. And embarrassingly catchy. Warning: the video is frankly weird.

05. Wonderful Life by Hurts

Another case of lovely, and quite profound, lyrics.

06. You Don't Know Me by Ben Folds ft Regina Spektor

An upbeat tune masking more melancholy words, I only first heard this song today but it's already been played a shocking amount of times on my youtube.

07. Shake It by Metro Station

I don't know why but this just makes me so happy. Perfect.

Did you think that your feet had been bound by what gravity brings to the ground?

2011-01-04T23:00:00.000Z

These absolutely stunning pictures by French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand fill me with such a sense of wanderlust that I usually spend hours afterwards reading travel books and looking up flight costs to anywhere. Just goes to show how much beauty there is in the world if only we trouble to look for it.

Cattle in Argentina

Coal Mine in South Africa

Military cemetery in Verdun, France

Suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark

Ruins of the medieval city of Shali, Egypt

Epicentre of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan

Freeways in Los Angeles, USA

To see more, click here (the series is called Earth from Above). Some more favourites of mine are the tulip fields in Holland, the lagoon of Venice and colourful fabrics drying in the Indian sun. So so beautiful.

31. Walk the Line (2005)

2011-01-02T23:42:00.007Z

The film that showed that Reese Witherspoon is capable of serious poignant acting, the film that made me realise how simply wonderful Joaquin Phoenix is (so wonderful that I still like him quite a bit despite the ridiculous stunt he pulled last year), the film that made me realise that actually, old style country rock'n'roll really isn't too bad, the film that made me lust after gorgeous 50s style dresses designed by the ever-wonderful genius Arianne Phillips, the film that cemented my love for the underrated brilliance of Ginnifer Goodwin, the film that is heart warming, touching, beautiful and real however many times you see it.

God, this is a good film.

"If you was hit by a truck and you was lying out there in that gutter dying, and you had time to sing one song. Huh? One song that people would remember before you're dirt. One song that would let God know how you felt about your time here on Earth. One song that would sum you up. You tellin' me that's the song you'd sing? That same Jimmy Davis tune we hear on the radio all day, about your peace within, and how it's real, and how you're gonna shout it? Or... would you sing somethin' different. Somethin' real. Somethin' you felt. Cause I'm telling you right now, that's the kind of song people want to hear. That's the kind of song that truly saves people. It ain't got nothin to do with believin' in God, Mr. Cash. It has to do with believin' in yourself."

"I have always believed that fashion was not made only to make women more beautiful, but also to reassure them, give them confidence."

2010-12-29T17:37:00.005Z

Although at first film and fashion seem like completely disparate art forms, the influence of fashion in film throughout the decades is self-evident. Here are some of my favourite partnerships:

01. Sabrina and Hubert de Givenchy

Rumour has it that when Givenchy heard a "Miss Hepburn" was in his outside offices, he assumed it was Katherine and not Audrey. Nevertheless their professional collaboration - and personal friendship - blossomed. Sabrina is the first film they worked together on, and the costumes have become classics - both in cinema and la mode.

02. Belle de Jour and Yves Saint Laurent

Another personal collaboration between actress and designer, this time Catherine Deneuve and YSL. After seeing a YSL retrospective in Paris featuring hundreds of his designs I fell absolutely in love with the classic shapes, clean lines and emphasis on elegance yet comfort. His signature style is never more evident than on Belle de Jour - absolutely stunning.

03. Black Swan and Rodarte

I haven't seen this yet - I'm really scared but so so curious and excited at the same time. But from pictures I have seen, well - ballet + Rodarte + Portman must = genius.

04. A Single Man and Tom Ford

OK, so technically Ford didn't design the costumes for this, but his personal style and vision is stamped on every costume and indeed every frame. If ever someone from fashion made an impact on cinema, this is it.

05. The Devil Wears Prada and...everyone

Well...obviously.

"Is that a rabbit in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?"

2010-12-27T13:41:00.007Z

My utterly sensible parents warned me off Who Framed Roger Rabbit for a long time - they thought it was ridiculous, confusing and stupid. Once I reached the age where I realised my parents are usually wrong about this sort of thing (and also that I like the ridiculous and stupid) I tried it for myself. And...I absolutely loved it.

It tells the story of Roger Rabbit who, worried his wife is cheated on him, has his studio send Eddie Valiant - a private detective - to snoop on her. But when the man she was supposedly cheating with (Marvin Acme himself) ends up dead, Roger Rabbit is chief suspect and has to team up with Eddie to clear his name and uncover the truth behind the mystery. It's part film noir and part zany cartoon and although it at first seems that these two genres should never be paired together, it works amazingly well.

And I think one of the reasons it works so perfectly - aside from the usual great casting and sharp, witty, creative script - is that it is so comfortably familiar. It's filled with a host of characters we recognise such as Mickey Mouse and Daffy Duck, yet taken outside where we are used to seeing them and placed in a new environment together, which is just so excitingly cool. The film also reverses roles and truly mixes up the world of toon and human, and not only visually. It often cleverly plays on stereotypes and familiar features of cartoons, such as the Tom and Jerry like injuries and accidents that befall cartoon characters, the unbelievable laws of Physics and (most obviously) the gadgets that come from ACME, but these affect the human characters too. And I don't think I need to go into how the toons are not mere 2D characters but are well rounded and play brilliantly off each other and the actors.

To sum up, it's a beyond entertaining film, truly clever and really interesting as well. A true classic.

"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."

Oh, and film news. Awards season is coming up: Golden Globe nominations and SAG award nominations have been announced and I must say they look far more interesting than last year when I was completely apathetic to almost everything. Very excited to see a lot of these (although it does look like the HFPA has made the usual cock-ups in terms of comedy films. I love Johnny Depp. But The Tourist? No.)

32. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

2010-12-26T15:00:00.001Z

Directed by Billy Wilder, based on a play written by Agatha Christie, this film takes the best from both of these geniuses to create a classic masterpiece. Witty, clever, stylish and suspenseful - it is a true product of its unique and brilliant parentage and features great turns by Marlene Dietrich, Tyrone Power and in particular Charles Laughton - the top barrister who insists on taking on a case of murder despite his doctor's advice. One of Wilder's best - it's two hours of the best of old-school entertainment with a completely unexpected twist at the end. A definite must-see.

'Twas (almost) the night before Christmas

2010-12-23T17:44:00.003Z

A little festive edition of the songs I've been listening to most over the last week in the run up to Christmas.

01. O Come O Come Emmanuel by Sufjan Stevens

This has long been my favourite ever Christmas carol, and Steven's low atmospheric voice really brings it to life.

02. Baby, It's Cold Outside by The Glee Cast

Um, the cutest scene in Glee ever?

03. Fairytale of New York by The Pogues

This incredibly unorthodox Christmas ditty is one of me and my friends' favourites.

04. Santa Baby by Marilyn Monroe

This really is what Christmas is all about...

05. Twinkle Twinkle By Fredrika Stahl

Not exactly a Christmas song, but anything with twinkles in the title will put me in a festive mood.

And finally, things that never fail to get me in the festive mood:

Merry Christmas everyone!

“The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street.”

2010-12-21T16:51:00.003Z

While I was in Paris there was a certain photographer that popped up everywhere I turned. His pictures were in galleries, his books were in museum gift shops, his postcards were at every street seller's stall. And when you look at his photos it's not surprising. Robert Doisneau was a pioneer of photojournalism, recording shots of day to day Paris on his camera and thereby creating some of the most iconic shots of the city of lights. His photos have a charm, realism and a sense of time - they truly feel like a snapshot of a moment in history. Despite having been to Paris so many times, each time I look at his photos I just want to go back.

"A hundredth of a second here, a hundredth of a second there -- even if you put them end to end, they still only add up to one, two, perhaps three seconds, snatched from eternity."

33. A Single Man (2009)

2010-12-19T14:58:00.003Z

Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Anahit and I am a disorganised mess. Michaelmas term was just so busy and I'd signed up to so many extra stuff that I started to fall behind on work let alone this blog and argh. OK. New start. Grand.

So term's finally over and I'm home. England is chock-a-block full of snow which is very picturesque and all that, but also means that although I was meant to be spending this weekend in Germany with a friend going to Christmas markets and other exciting things, I'm stuck at home sadly contemplating my reading list and watching repeats of Top Gear. I wasn't going to restart doing this blog until the New Year so it would have a truly fresh start, but I am so damn bored that I may as well start now.

I've already gushed about this film here and to be honest, I have nothing more to really add. It is a truly spectacular masterpiece, quite underrated, and one that everyone should watch. Indescribable.

The Prince of Persia

2010-09-30T23:31:00.009+01:00

I watched this an awfully long time ago but haven't got round to reviewing it until now as I have nothing better to do (this is such a lie. I could be reading. I could be catching up on sleep). I first saw this back in May with a friend, when we were bored of thinking and pretending to be clever and just wanted some mindless fun.

And that's exactly what we got. Now, don't get me wrong, Prince of Persia is not a good film. The script is over the top and silly and so full of clichés and stereotypes about the Middle East that, as an Iranian, I was just cringing a little bit inside. I mean, ostrich races? REALLY? The storyline itself is slightly convoluted - although as these type of films go, not too bad (hi POTC 3) - and just slightly random and far fetched. The characters also tend a little towards the 2D and typical, Ben Kingsley in particular being wasted in the cookie cutter role of "evil uncle".

However, despite all this, I genuinely enjoyed this. Partly - I'm not going to lie - because Jake Gyllenhaal is very good looking and just incredibly charming. Indeed, I think this is the key to the film's success - albeit commercial rather than critical - it's just a charming, fun film. The two leads, Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton make the most of their fairly unexciting characters by playing off each other perfectly and giving their characters lots of chemistry and magnetism. And the director, having perhaps realised that the script was veering into the ridiculous, chooses to play it all slightly tongue in cheek, making it enjoyable rather than simply awkward to watch. Plus, it's just pure entertainment. It's set in a mystical time (admittedly made all the more mystical because so much of the historical accuracy is bullshit, but still), features princes, princesses, betrayals, sorcery...everything required for two hours or so of no-brains fun.

"You don't kiss boys. Boys kiss you."

2010-09-28T22:00:00.002+01:00

This term (by the way, did I mention I'm back at Oxford? Well, I am), I somehow managed ot land myself the role of deputy fashion editor for the university newspaper - something that alternately thrills and terrifies me. One of the shoots we're planning on doing this term is a 50's Mad Men-inspired spread - so I duly gathered some screenshots for inspiration...

34. Charade (1963)

2010-09-26T23:30:00.001+01:00

It has Cary Grant, possibly at his most charming, Audrey Hedpburn at her sweetest, it's romantic and witty yet manages to be incredibly sharp and clever at the same time with about ten thousand unexpected twists and turns and a very thrilling denouement - so much so that until a couple of years ago, I wholeheartedly believed this to be a Hitchcock. Such a classic, absolutely adore it.

"Of course, you won't be able to lie on your back for a while, but then you can lie from any position, can't you?"

"But when a young lady is to be a heroine, something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way"

2010-09-24T23:00:00.001+01:00

While in Paris, I was staying with a girl who admitted to never having read an Austen novel in her life - her mother, and indeed she herself, were massively feminist and considered Austen novels to be frivolous and encouraging girls to sit around idly and obsess over men. This is something that comes up with my mother quite frequently too - she absolutely adores the Brontes and thinks Austen is "chick-lit-y" and shallow. Well, I'm sorry but I could not possibly disagree more. In a world that was, after all, biased towards the male sex, Austen wrote some amazing female characters - strong, charming, witty and intelligent. My countdown of my favourites:

03. Marianne Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility

It can be said her character is deeply flawed - she has no patience or kindness for people whom she considers vulgar or cruel, shows her emotions too readily, is headstrong and gives herself completely over to her emotions and "sensibilities", ignoring propriety and good "sense". However, this is precisely why I love her - her lack of hypocrisy and her passionate nature are to me admirable, and her romantic idealism is naive yet beautiful.

"Can he love her? Can the soul really be satisfied with such polite affections? To love is to burn, to be on fire. Like Juliet or Guinevere or Eloise."

02. Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice

Of course. If we're talking about role models for women, here is a character who was way ahead of her time - who refused to let society dictate her choices in life, refused to marry simply for money, had great love for her family and most importantly, great self-respect. And she found true love at last. With Mr Darcy. How lovely :)

"Do not consider me now as an elegant female, intending to plague you, but as a rational creature, speaking the truth from her heart."

01. Catherine Morland, Northanger Abbey

I had a very strange experience when I first read this book and watched the film. For possibly the very first time ever in my life, I totally and completely empathised with a character, and completely understood all of her feelings, actions and motivations. Her tendency to get caught up inside her own head, and her love of imagined worlds completely mirrors my own and her innocence and lack of experience with the world were completely familiar to me. Furthermore, her kindness, good nature, frankness and wit are completely charming, and her love for Henry Tilney is simply adorable. One of my favourite characters of all time.

"Oh! I am delighted with the book! I should like to spend my whole life in reading it. I assure you, if it had not been to meet you, I would not have come away from it for all the world."

Pont des Arts

2010-09-20T23:03:00.005+01:00

Despite the fact Paris is well known as the city of love, I'm afraid I found romance slightly lacking - there was plentiful sleaziness, leering and generally irritating masculine behaviour, but not really any of the heart pounding amour I had been expecting - apart from two incidents. One was where, in a metro station at about eleven at night, a guy took leave of a girl by embracing her, dipping her towards the floor and kissing her. A lot. Admittedly it did make me want to be slightly sick, but it was also slightly cute. The second one, which I really loved, was the love padlocks on the Pont des Arts. A couple would attach a padlock to the bridge and throw the key into the water, signifying their eternal love and commitment to one another. Sweet :)

(pictures by me)

35. National Treasure (2004)

2010-09-19T19:23:00.003+01:00

I like this film. I know it's just silly family fun - but aren't those the films that we often like the most? True, Pixar makes some impressive films, but the reason we all love them is not because of the intricate screenplay or cinematography - it's because they're fun and because they hold fond memories. For me, this film is what my family and I watch when we just can't be arsed with anything else, and I still find it as entertaining as when I first saw it.

"So what, are you hiding from the law or is it just a bad nose job?"

2010-09-17T11:35:00.010+01:00

In this modern-day world of insecurity, eating disorders and unrealistic body expectations the movie industry has retaliated by making films aimed particularly at young women, showing that it's "what's on the inside that counts". Normally, you'd expect these films to be fairly sappy, childish and ridiculous. Not so in the case of Penelope.

Penelope tells the tale of a little girl from a blueblood family (Christina Ricci), under an old family curse and born with a pig's snout instead of a nose. Realising an operation would kill her, her shallow yet well-meaning mother (Catherine O'Hara) fakes her death and keeps her locked up inside the family mansion, waiting until another bluebood comes along and marries her, thereby lifting the curse. Eventually, feeling trapped and unhappy, Penelope hides her face beneath a scarf and runs away, ready to experience the real world.

I'd never seen anything with Christina Ricci before, bar perhaps a few kiddie films, and was therefore pleasantly surprised by her. She plays Penelope with a carefully balanced mix of innocence and determination, and has brilliant chemistry with James McAvoy, who plays a young man who falls in love with her. McAvoy is utterly ~~gorgeous~~ a brilliant actor, who plays the at first mercenary Max with a great deal of charm and warmth. There are also great supporting turns from brilliant actors such as Richard E Grant, Reese Witherspoon and Simon Woods, and a cameo by Russell Brand that made me squeal (damn, pun totally not intended).

The film itself steers away from going into typical modern fairytale territory by keeping its own original charm. The script is unclichéd and witty, he art direction and costuming is brilliant, and what makes it particularly interesting is that, although we know the film is set in the modern world, we don't know exactly where - to me, it looked like London yet felt like New York, and was just a mysterious charming blur of everything. The soundtrack too was very pretty. All in all, a decent underrated romcom-y fairytale. Watch :)

Hey Good Lookin'

2010-09-14T18:05:00.006+01:00

My day to day uniform, ie what I wear 350 out of 365 days of the year, is a dress, cardi and flats, adding or subtracting coats, tights and sunglasses as per the weather. I love trailing through street style sites, seeing other people's takes on my staple wardrobe.

(Pictures from The Style Scout)

Oh, and I'm sorry, but how amazing is this song, and how fecking CUTE is the video?!

36. Marie Antoinette (2006)

2010-09-12T19:20:00.000+01:00

I've written a review of this previously, and not that much since then has changed, except I possibly love it even more and have decided the soundtrack is actually, despite first impressions, fairly wonderful. I know this film was booed at it's first ever screening at Cannes, I know compared to Copolla's other work it seems unimpressive, I know it can be viewed as all style and no substance, but as far as I'm concerned it remains a brilliant and original piece of film making - combining sheer beauty with subtle yet well-developed characterisation, a well written script and fantastic directing.

The above shot, which was at first considered a mistake, and then a travesty, is one of my favourite shots of the whole film. It encapsulated Coppola's desire to break down the boundaries of history and limitations of accuracy and show her character as a young girl, simply trying to have fun.

Oh, elope with me in private and we'll set something ablaze

2010-09-10T18:15:00.004+01:00

Yet another playlist, this time of the songs I most listened to in Paris.

01. Make Me Wanna Die by The Pretty Reckless

I tried to hate this song. God knows I tried. Didn't work. Whenever I was a bit tired of the world, I would sit in the metro, turn the volume up way loud and mentally sing/scream along.

02. Memories by David Guetta ft Kid Cudi

So catchy. Loved it in the clubs in Oxford, loved it in the clubs in Paris, love it dancing around in my bedroom (I am actually quite lame).

03. Moi...Lolita by Alizée

Cos you've just gotta listen to some French music. It's no Edith Piaf or Juliette Greco (although I did listen to them an awful lot too...) but it's still so much fun :)

04. Don't you (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds

This was the theme song to The Breakfast Club (which I'm still obsessed with btw). Every time I hear it it just speaks freedom and liberation and 80s cool.

05. Piazza New York Catcher by Belle and Sebastian

So so beautiful and dreamy.

06. When You Were Young by The Killers

Another one to sing along loudly to when no one's at home. One of my favourite ever songs - it's so fierce yet inexplicably sad.

07. Above You Below Me by Badly Drawn Boy

My brother came to visit while I was in Paris and had this song on his iPod. I'd heard it before on the About a Boy soundtrack but became absolutely obsessed by it in Paris. So so cool.

Sous le ciel de Paris marchent des amoureux

2010-09-08T19:22:00.008+01:00

I've returned from Paris :) (actually I returned a couple of weeks ago but have been too busy seeing my family and doing nothing to write). BUT I'M BACK NOW :D I have all sorts of exciting things planned for this blog and hopefully second year at uni won't be horrendously busy and I won't be horrendously disorganised and lazy and will keep it all up.

Anyway, Paris was amazing. I was doing a French course which took up part of the morning, which meant I had practically the entire day to myself to explore and truly appreciate the city - not only it's touristy areas. I think that was what I loved most of all - I was there for five weeks and therefore didn't really feel like a tourist any more: I was a regular at the library, went to the supermarket, had a metro pass and everything. As a languages student I'm going to have to take a year abroad next year, so this was a nice little insight to what it will potentially be like.

More photos of specific trips will be coming up in the next few days and weeks.

2010-07-21T00:11:00.002+01:00

Announcement time.

I'm going to Paris on Sunday for over a month - doing a French course at the university and generally mooching around (let's be honest, I won't get bored. It's Paris). This seems the perfect time to announce a little hiatus on my blog, as I won't be getting much Internet while there. This is quite timely as for a while I've been wanting to rethink my blog. I love love love writing it, I love the comments, I love everything, but atm I just feel so uninspired and update so erratically compared to last year that I'm losing heart and have even considered giving up, which I most certainly do not want to do. I've lost half my readership and most of my quality and I think, much as I like life as it comes, I need to be more organised. SO, don't expect posts for a month. While in Paris I'm going to rethink it, come up with new ideas and features, and generally have it back to it's good old pre-uni self by the time September comes. I can already tell you, there's going to be more photography (I got a new camera a few days ago - it's a budget SLR camera and I am SO EXCITED about it), more fashion, and more film as opposed to posting trailers every now and then. I want to make this little spot on the internet something I can be proud of again. So goodbye for a month, and when I come back, please feel free to drop by, have a cup of tea and look around at the shiny new things :)

Peace and love

Anahita x

Myths of the Forest

2010-07-09T21:03:00.005+01:00

I really cannot decide what I think of this shoot. On one hand it's beautiful, colourful, and set in another mysterious, fairytale, Midsummer Night's Dream world. Which, as we all know, is sheer perfection. On the other hand, what's with the blue people? Is it all a little over the top and too fancy dress instead of fashion? Or is it simply playful and happy? I'm still not quite sure - all I know is, it caught my eye when I first saw it.

Photographer: Carter Smith

Model: Anja Rubik

Magazine: Vogue Nippon

"In this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal."

2010-07-07T00:40:00.007+01:00

(I'm kind of stealing Andrew's Forgotten Characters idea. I hope he'll forgive me, and I promise I'll not do it again xD)

In a film based on one of the most powerful and beloved novels of all time, and surrounded by a cast starring the likes of Gregory Peck in a career-defining (and that's saying something) performance, it can be quite easy to forget about the supporting characters. However, after having watched To Kill a Mockingbird again tonight (and cried during the last half hour - I swear, I've read the book and watched the film so many times, yet they still manage to bring me to tears), I couldn't help being drawn toward Brock Peters' performance as Tom Robinson - the black man falsely accused of raping a white girl whom Atticus Finch (Peck) defends. Although I adore the book far more than the film, I have to admit that the character of Tom is not particularly explored throughout - the reader never truly gets an idea of what he is like as an individual and a personality - rather, his undefined-ness allows him to be representative of his entire race and the oppression and prejudice they faced. In the film, however, because of Peters' emotional and masterful performance, it is brought down to a far more personal level. He clearly demonstrates the desperation and helplessness Tom feels throughout the trial - tears coming into his eyes as he desperately insists on his innocence, to no avail - and by the end of the trial, we too feel the hopelessness years of oppression can cause. Through Peters, Tom Robinson becomes a clearly defined character in his own right, as he unflinchingly portrays the injustice Tom had to struggle through. The scene in the courtroom, already perfect because of Peck's brave and honest Atticus, just became yet more perfect.

SQUUUEEEEEE!!!

2010-07-05T16:16:00.001+01:00

Ok, so the trailer's not that amazing, and I could probably act better than Daniel Radcliffe. But still. It's Harry Potter!! xD

I don't think I'll ever be too old for it.

37. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

2010-06-30T18:39:00.006+01:00

The perfect blend of surreal and true emotion, with a beautifully original screenplay and masterful performances by Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey (I'm sorry, but who knew he could act so well?!). Utterly adore it.

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd ..."

Let's Get Trashed

2010-06-28T16:34:00.003+01:00

I don't normally put up photos of myself from my day to day life, but what with term ending, I thought it would be nice to share two of my favourite photos from the last term. It's a tradition in Oxford that, after exams, you get "trashed", i.e, you get all sorts of crap thrown at/over you. This is me at possibly my most undignified and happiest :)

Je suis revenue!!!

2010-06-27T23:59:00.004+01:00

I blame my hiatus on the usual thing I blame it on during May/June - exams. But yes, yet again they are finally over, I've left Oxford (sadface) and am back home, and ready to finally think about something other than literary theory, translation, mountains of revision and whether-it's-possible-to-actually-pass-your-first-year-of-uni-'cos-the-way-it's-going-it-sure-as-hell-doesn't-seem-so. Anyway, this is just a quick post, seeing as I haven't seen any films, read any non-prescribed books or seen any fashion other than subfusc in the past few weeks. Trailers, anyone?

01. Never Let Me Go

Why hello Keira Knightley, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN RECENTLY?! Am so excited for this, I haven't seen her in anything for so long - it also has the extra perk of Carey Mulligan, who is fast becoming one of my favourite new actresses. Plus, who doesn't love a bit of dystopian drama?

02. Somewhere

OK, admittedly, while this does look good, it doesn't look amazing. However, I have several truck loads of admiration for Coppola's work, and Elle Fanning - unlike her annoying older sister - is completely adorable and natural. Am expecting big (big) things.

03. Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I'm sure I could find something intellectual to say here, but like, it's Narnia. It's childish and magical and wonderful and I'm so excited. Plus, two interesting Oxford-Narnia stories. CS Lewis and J R R Tolkein used to sit and discuss literature ad all sorts of other things in a pub right across from my college which we now own. Also, me and my friend were walking down the High Street one day and saw Anna Popplewell, who studies English at Magdalen, walking by. She's very small, very pretty, and looked slightly uncomfortable as we stared, shocked (we're so unsubtle). Plus, a minute after she walked by, we realised that she had kissed Ben Barnes and started squealing loudly in the middle of the road. Oh. Dear.

Just remember when a dream appears, you belong to me

2010-05-17T13:12:00.003+01:00

Music plays such a huge part in my life - especially during exams time, when I tend to watch far less films, but listen to way more music during revision. So again, here are the seven songs that have been occupying my iTunes and my ear drums :)

01. Paradise Circus by Massive Attack

Heard it in a recent Gossip Girl episode and have been hooked ever since. I hadn't heard that much Massive Attack apart from Teardrop before this, but am now becoming very obsessed with all their songs. Pretty amazing.

02. You Belong to Me by Kate Rusby

One of my friends who lives below me is in love with folk music, and I think that love must have rubbed off on me - this song is just so beautiful and calming.

03. Like a Prayer by The Glee Cast

Yeah, I'm a Gleek. Yeah, I'm incredibly sad. But I do love this song so :D

04. OMG by Usher ft. will.i.am

OK, so I was standing on my balcony last Sunday, staring at all the old towers and spires spread out before me, when a car rolled up in the parking area below my window, blasting out this song, and one of the guys who works as a waiter in our formal hall got out and strutted towards hall. There was something fairly amazing about hearing Usher while staring at all the old history below you :)

05. One of Those Days by Joshua Radin

Joshua Radin is one of my favourite artists ever, and this song is quietly beautiful, with his trademark amazing lyrics.

06. Split Needles by The Shins

So yes, I'm still obsessed with The Shins.

07. The Cave by Mumford & Sons

This was one of the rare indie songs that actually make it onto the UK Singles Chart. I got into this band way back in September when I first came to Oxford - and their songs just remind me of late Summer in the city :)

(This video to Paradise Circus isn't the official video, I don't think - it's clips of a film called The Fall, which I now desperately want to see. Has anyone seen it? - it looks amazing!)

Nostalgia

2010-05-09T12:27:00.002+01:00

I went to the St Hugh's College Ball last night, and while it was incredibly fun, I think I'm going to need the whole of today to recover from the exhaustion. Plus, all of my friends seem to have gone missing (and I literally don't have the energy to find my phone and text them) so to keep myself entertained I've been watching Looney Tunes, Dastardly and Mutley and Tom and Jerry cartoons on YouTube. I know, I'm very cool. I stumbled across this video which is the first cartoon I can ever remember watching - it made me feel very happy :)

This, Madame, is Versailles

2010-05-04T11:49:00.006+01:00

Why, hello. Do I spy Marie Antoinette? Do I spy Coppola references? Do I spy Annie Leibovitz? Do I spy gorgeous over-the-top extravagance? I think I may be slightly in love.

Photographer: Annie Leibovitz

Model: Kirsten Dunst

Magazine: US Vogue

(source)

Alice in Wonderland

2010-05-01T23:30:00.001+01:00

Yesterday, or today - I'm not really with it - was Mayday. Mayday is traditionally a big celebration in Oxford, so my friends and I stayed awake all night, going out dancing in the evening, watching the choir singing at the top of Magdalen Tower at 6am, going back to our college to watch our own choir sing from the top of the tower, eating a big breakfast at 8am and finally collapsing in bed. It was definitely an "Oxford-experience" but it left me absolutely shattered (I am so hardcore) and I slept from eight 'til five o'clock in the evening. My sleep pattern is therefore incredibly messed up - I feel almost jet-lagged, and am therefore using this unusual burst of energy to write my review of Alice in Wonderland, which I saw a couple of weeks ago.

My love of Alice in Wonderland has been well documented before - it is quite simply one of my favourite stories ever written. That said, I was very apprehensive about watching the film. It had all the right ingredients to become a very loved film of mine - Tim Burton, Lewis Carroll, Johnny Depp - and I had loved the look of the trailer, yet I was incredibly worried about the story line changes they had made. Instead of the vague sudden dreaminess of the original plot - if you can call it that - Burton had constructed a proper tale of the whole thing, with Alice being grown up now, and stumbling back into Wonderland to discover everything has changed dramatically, the Red Queen has taken away her sister the White Queen's throne, and is ruling what is actually Underland with a reign of terror. Most citizens, including the Mad Hatter, March Hare, Tweedledum and Tweedledee live in fear of her and her secret weapon, the Jabberwocky. When Alice returns, she is to fufill a prophecy that has been made, that she will slay the Jabberwocky and restore peace.

In this way, my first impressions and expectations of the film were pretty much met. It was an absolutely gorgeous film, with amazing visuals that we have come to expect from Tim Burton. As a massive fan of the books I particularly enjoyed his attention to the detail from the books, little bread-and-butterflies flew around everywhere, references to flamingoes and hedgehogs were everywhere, and it was interesting and actually quite original to have the poem "The Jabberwocky" feature so heavily in a film adaptation. I love the way there was a Burton-esque stamp on every scene, from curly trees to wacky half-gothic half-psychedelic costumes - it was exactly what I had hoped for and expected. Burton also showed his great skill when it came to characterisation - the nature of his storyline meant that we could get far more depth from characters other than Alice - in particular, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter really excelled. He portrayed him as truly a mad character, and brought out the tragic, emotionally unstable, vulnerable side of the character, rather than a simple caricature. I say this for pretty much all of his performances, but I think it was honestly Oscar-nomination-worthy.

However, I just can't get around the fact that I disliked what Tim Burton did with storyline. As I think I've mentioned before, I actually quite like back stories and different interpretations and expanding on a story beyond what the author themselves have done. However this was just too much of a change, as it no longer cpatured the spirit of the book itself. Burton said in an interview that he wanted to give the story some structure instead of just having it as "a girl meeting random people". However, as far as I'm concerned, this is the whole point of Alice in Wonderland, and why I love it so much - it's such a dreamy, surreal, strange, random story - this is its strength. Burton himself excels at this sort of thing. Instead, he chose to do a conventional storyline, making it into a straightforward quest-y film with good and evil and a battle at the end, so that, despite the strange characters and quirky visuals, it became unimaginative and not particularly special.

Basically, it was good for the one time, and perhaps if you're not such a fan of the books you would enjoy it very much. I just thought it could have been so much more, and would have loved Burton to tackle the original books themselves instead of descending into typical territory.

Love Sex Death Passion Fear Obsession. Just Like Life.

2010-04-26T23:33:00.010+01:00

I only meant to post the trailer of this film, which remains one of my favourite trailers of all time, but I got distracted by these screencaps. It's amazing, every scene in this film is like a piece of artwork - close ups and shots of nature in muted greens, yellows and blues give the whole thing a melancholy dreamlike quality. 'Tis just stunning.

"What we have here is a dreamer. Someone completely out of touch with reality."

38. Spellbound (1945)

2010-04-20T15:42:00.008+01:00

Ingrid Bergman. Gregory Peck. Alfred Hitchcock. Salvador Dali. There was NO WAY this film could have failed. The story of a psychiatrist (Bergman) who tries to protect the identity of an amnesiac (Peck) who is accused of murder while struggling to solve the case, this is a classic Hitchcock film - the themes of mental illness and murder create a dark, tense and disturbing atmosphere, while the two leads make their way through the complex plot with brilliant chemistry. The dream sequence that was created by Salvador Dali perfectly complements Hitchcock's directions and is fabulously surreal and mysterious. Hitchcock is the most represented director in my top 70, and with films like this it is no wonder.

2010-04-15T18:47:00.004+01:00

"I just have to come face to face with the fact that I am not gifted. I can appreciate art and I love music but...it's sad really, because I feel like I have a lot to express and I...am not gifted."

At this very moment, surrounded by tonnes of grammar books and novels I don't understand and the prospect of exams for the nineth consecutive year running in my life, all I want to do is turn into an artist/photographer/filmmaker/writer and just have a wee bit of freedom. Alas, Oxford, sensible-ness and knowing I would probably never make it are making me put this idea on hold indefinitely.

Again, sorry about the ramble. But I am slightly fed up to death of revision and monotony. Am going to London over the weekend and will be back in Oxford next week. I think the change will do me good. I've always found both the capital and the city of dreaming spires incredibly inspiring and soothing. :)

British Legends

2010-04-12T22:50:00.007+01:00

Left: You are a dedicated father who, with your wife, has just sat down to dinner with your 15-year-old daughter, who is defiantly announcing that she’s pregnant. Center: You are a fashion designer on the morning of your big runway show, realizing that nothing in the collection is ready or fabulous. Right: You are a blustering, pompous member of the British Parliament, giving a speech that is being broadcast on the BBC, and you’re thrilled at the sound of your own voice.

(From Vanity Fair)

"I am a lover of truth, a worshipper of freedom, a celebrant at the altar of language and purity and tolerance. That is my religion, and every day I am sorely, grossly, heinously and deeply offended, wounded, mortified and injured by a thousand different blasphemies against it. When the fundamental canons of truth, honesty, compassion and decency are hourly assaulted by fatuous bishops, pompous, illiberal and ignorant priests, politicians and prelates, sanctimonious censors, self-appointed moralists and busy-bodies, what recourse of ancient laws have I? None whatever. Nor would I ask for any. For unlike these blistering imbeciles my belief in my religion is strong and I know that lies will always fail and indecency and intolerance will always perish." - Stephen Fry

It's people like this that make me love England and its film industry and actors. The fact they're all friends makes it somehow sweeter :)

Short ramble today while I write up my review of Alice in Wonderland. Yes, I finally saw it. As for what I thought of it...

I love. I have loved. I will love.

2010-04-09T23:13:00.012+01:00

Today was possibly the first properly sunny day of the year England has had. It was so gorgeous that I decided to forsake my books (tough decision I know) and take my little brother to London for the day. We spent the whole time playing pooh sticks, making boats out of leaves and sticks and setting them sail (and watching them sink), playing in the playground (well, I listened to my mp3 and tried to keep a watchful eye), eating ice cream and feeding the ducks. It was gloriously warm, and as we walked back to King's Cross in the evening, there was a wonderful feeling of Summer on the air - the way your cheeks feel in the cool evening breeze after having been soaked in sunshine all day, the scented heaviness of the air on your forehead, the glint of the sunset in the old town house windows. It's a lovely feeling - although I hope it's raining/windy/blizzarding outside tomorrow, 'cos I'm gonna have to do some work!!!

In other news, we all know the lovely Rebecca of The Clothes Horse is amazingly multi-talented, she can draw, photograph, has a keen sense of fashion and writes beautifully. But did you know she can mind-read too? She's written a lovely post on I Capture the Castle, which is something I've been meaning to do for weeks and had decided to write today on the train back from London! Isn't life funny sometimes? I think she even got her screencaps from the same place as I bookmarked! Well, I would say great minds think alike, except I don't like that saying (surely all great minds think individual and original thoughts?), so I'll just say, go read her post, it says everything far more eloquently than what you're about to read. Also, forgive me for posting my version, but I simply adore I Capture the Castle and really wanted to write on it!

So anyway, I Capture the Castle is one of my simply favourite books. It's the tale of an unusual family struggling to make ends meet in the old English castle they live in - Cassandra, the middle child, is 17 and the narrator, her older sister Rose is frustrated by their life and would do anything to escape such poverty, even marry when not in love. When two American brothers move into their lives, their entire world changes, and both girls leave their childhood and experience growing-up and love, each with their trials and tribulations. It's a simply lovely coming-of-age story, told with a great deal of charm and wit. In my edition, it describes in the introduction how Dodie Smith went over almost every single sentence and rewrote it to get the sense she wanted, and her hard work has certainly paid off - it flows beautifully, and is filled with warn English humour, and yet is also very profound and in parts bittersweet. Filled with wonderfully complex characters and beautiful imagery of the English countryside, it is a book I would recommend to anyone.

The film stays fairly close to the book, and while not as good, maybe just because nothing can measure up to Cassandra's enchanting narrative, it still captures the spirit of the novel well - both in the script, which is as warm as its source material, and in the look of the thing, from costumes to colours to settings. The 1930s was a truly lovely time in fashion and architecture, and it's portrayed beautifully in the film. The eccentric setting of the castle is also brought to life and becomes a spectacular and whimsical backdrop to the events. It is also well acted with a perfect class of true English talent including Romola Garai (Cassandra), Rose Byrne (Rose), Bill Nighy (Mr Mortmain) Tara Fitzgerald (Topaz) and Henry Cavill (Stephen) - looking oh-so-fine. In short, both the book and the film are whole-heartedly recommended and are both charming, original and beautiful.

I'm through accepting limits 'cos someone says they're so

2010-04-07T11:23:00.007+01:00

Despite the fact this blog has now progressed beyond just a film blog and tends to delve everyone now and then into all manners of art forms - film, fashion, photography, music - one aspect of art I never really discuss on here is theatre, for the simple reason - I never go. I've been to the ballet several times, the opera once, and one or two very small shows in little theatres, but I've never been to one of the immense shows at the West End. Until last night that is, when we went to London for a friend's birthday and saw Wicked. And. It. Was. Amazing. Literally, everything you ever hear about the West End and musicals and Wicked itself, all of that is true. I had chills the whole way through, and was literally sat on the edge of my seat for the entire run like some little kid.

I guess one of the things I loved the most about it was the story itself. As I see it, a musical really truly excels when it actually has some substance and an interesting plot behind the songs and colour and effects. Wicked definitely has this - I'd read the book by Gregory Maguire before, and I just love the way it delves deep behind a children's classic to bring a dark, unexpected and grown-up tale of politics, prejudice, freedom and love. I absolutely adore back stories - looking at things in a new and unexpected way - and I love the way one of the most evil characters in literature (come, on, it's in the name!) is completely turned on its head and seen in a new way.

As I mentioned in my review of the film-version of Chicago, I do mainly adore the theatre for its effects - for the way the audience sees everything, and therefore things cannot be hidden with camera angles or emphasised with computer generated effects - instead one has to rely on mechanical effects and lighting and music to create the effects one wants. From the enormous dragon and the top of the stage which roared and moved at the beginning of acts, to the amazing lighting during Defying Gravity, to the beautiful scenery, to the enormous talking head of the Wizard, the whole thing was simply jaw-droppingly awesome, and had me squealing like a small child. The music was also fabulous - I know it's clichéd, but Defying Gravity was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen - incredibly powerful and stunning on stage, and almost all the other songs were memorable.

Basically, it was wonderful. It was wicked (haha, DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE!?!? :D) I'd recommend it to everyone to see it if they can, and I for one will definitely be making some more West End trips in future.

39. 12 Angry Men (1957)

2010-04-05T16:07:00.003+01:00

Much like To Kill A Mockingbird, this is a film that gives one slight hope for humanity. It's pretty amazing how a film predominately filmed in one small room with only a cast of twelve actors can keep you on the edge of your seat, completely and totally engrossed, but this one sure does manage it.

"It's always difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this. And wherever you run into it, prejudice always obscures the truth. I don't really know what the truth is. I don't suppose anybody will ever really know. Nine of us now seem to feel that the defendant is innocent, but we're just gambling on probabilities - we may be wrong. We may be trying to let a guilty man go free, I don't know. Nobody really can. But we have a reasonable doubt, and that's something that's very valuable in our system. No jury can declare a man guilty unless it's SURE. We nine can't understand how you three are still so sure. Maybe you can tell us."

lost myself and I am nowhere to be found

2010-03-29T19:04:00.006+01:00

Seven tracks that have been ~~distracting me from~~ helping me with my revision these past few weeks.

01. Caring is Creepy by The Shins

Pretty much anything on the Garden State soundtrack is just fine by me, and The Shins in particular are just fabulous.

02. We Both Go Down Together by The Decemberists

For me, one of the loveliest things a song can have is amazing lyrics that tell a sort of story - which probably explains my adoration of Regina Spektor. This story of two lovers kept apart from their families and who would rather die than be apart is unspeakably beautiful.

03. The Man Who Can't Be Moved by The Script

Another case of adorable lyrics.

04. Breathe Me by Sia

Because there's something quite heartbreakingly beautiful about the piano and her soft dreamy voice.

05. Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve

This song plays on the ending of Cruel Intentions, which I watched while studying Dangerous Liaisons last term (it's an updated adaptation of the book, and seemed a perfect way to "work" while actually not working). Although the film had many flaws, this song was not one of them.

06. Heads Will Roll by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Just plain amazing, and with one of the best music videos I've seen in a while.

07. Bones by The Killers

Another case of an amazing music video. For the 238402513th time, I love Tim Burton so much.

What's been the soundtrack to your March?

The 2009 Filmfilms

2010-03-25T17:15:00.003Z

'Cos yes, I still haven't come up with a better name. Admittedly slightly late this year, but better late than never :)

Best Picture

Winner - A Single Man

Runner Up - An Education

Leading Actor

Winner - Colin Firth, A Single Man

Runner Up - Morgan Freeman, Invictus

Leading Actress

Winner - Carey Mulligan, An Education

Runner Up - Saoirse Ronan, The Lovely Bones

Supporting Actor

Winner - Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones

Runner Up - Tom Felton, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Supporting Actress

Winner - Marion Cotillard, Nine
Runner Up - Anna Kendrick, Up In the Air

Director

Winner - Tom Ford, A Single Man

Runner Up - Marc Webb, (500) Days of Summer

Adapted Screenplay

Winner - An Education (Nick Hornby)

Runner Up - Up In the Air (Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner)

Original Screenplay

Winner - (500) Days of Summer (Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber)

Runner Up - Phoebe in Wonderland (Daniel Barnz)

Best Animated Picture

Winner - Coraline

Runner Up - Up

Cinematography

Winner - A Single Man (Eduard Grau)

Runner Up - Avatar (Mauro Fiore)

Costume Design

Winner - The Young Victoria (Sandy Powell)

Runner Up - Nine (Colleen Atwood)

Art Design

Winner - The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Dave Warren, Anastasia Masaro, Caroline Smith)

Runner Up - Avatar (Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair)

Best Soundtrack

Winner - A Single Man (Abel Korzeniowski)

Runner Up - (500) Days of Summer (Mychael Danna)

Best Original Song

Winner - "Take It All" (Maury Yeston)

Runner Up - "I See You" (Leona Lewis, James Horner)

Autumn (Tribute to Debbie Phillips)

2010-03-22T19:22:00.004Z

I encourage everyone to buy this single from iTunes for only 79p.

It is a tribute to Debbie Phillips, who died of cervical cancer in February, by her daughter Sarah, who sang it into her mobile phone on the night her mother died. All money goes to a fund set up in Debbie's name for research into cervical cancer. Sarah's older sister is a friend of mine at my uni, and I can assure you it would mean the world to her and her family.

40. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

2010-03-15T19:20:00.006Z

I've returned from Oxford for the Easter holidays. I'm slightly pleased to be back - obviously I missed my family, and I also really need a break from the intenseness there. Still, I already really really wish I were back.

The weather's also beginning to look up - which will hopefully mean a lot of trips to gorgeous London in summer dresses and a cardigan. And work. Obviously. Mustn't forget the tonnes of revision I've been landed with.

"How can you, of all people, dispose of yourself without affection?"

2010-03-11T01:50:00.011Z

The Oscars were slightly meh in my opinion, and I can't be bothered to write much about them. Or anything really. So instead, bask in the aural and visual prettiness that is Becoming Jane. It was on iPlayer over the last week, and although I'd seen it before, I decided to watch it again, mainly because I was bored and I needed some period romance in my life. I didn't particularly love it the last first time I watched it, and I'm not incredibly enamoured of it this time round either; it is a sweet film with a good cast - Anne Hathaway embodies Jane Austen beautifully, and James McAvoy excels as always - but it's not outstanding. It is really sweet, romantic and pretty though, so enjoy :)

Trailers

2010-03-04T22:43:00.006Z

New batch of trailers. Can't be arsed to say much about them (this is shaping up to be a great post...), because I want to sleep tonight before it really becomes tomorrow (does that make sense?). Anyway...

01. The Exploding Girl

These days, it's becoming harder and harder to distinguish the good indie romances from the mediocre - so many are being made. I'm not entirely sure how this one will turn out, but can I please have the wardrobe?

02. Cemetery Junction

Just seems fairly entertaining tbh. And Reading's really close to Oxford *beams*

03. Meet the Joneses

Appropriate for our times, and seems quite funny, and an original concept. And I'd given up on Demi Moore doing anything good again, but waddiyaknow?

Right, should go sleep. And watch Becoming Jane on iPlayer :)

A Single Man

2010-02-26T20:00:00.000Z

The whole point of a film review is to evaluate and critique a certain film, highlighting where it has gone well and showing where it has not succeeded in its aims. The point of a film review is not to gush about a film, trying to think about synonyms for the words "stunning" and "amazing" because you've already overused them and you're only three lines in.

Therefore, this may not class as a film review. To be honest, I'm finding it hard to write anything about A Single Man because it was just so perfect, and it's awfully hard to write on perfection. Plus, it was a very visual and emotional film - more so than anything I've seen in a long time. How do you condense that sort of thing to only two or three sentences?

Point being however, first-time director Tom Ford has succeeded in creating one of the most beautiful and original films of many years. It's just stunning to look at, from the colour palette that changes according to the main character George's mood - from dull grey to bright saturated colour - to the fairly stunning costumes, which naturally were expected to be fabulous, and which met all expectations. In a film of so much style, it can be quite easy to lose substance, but Tom Ford also succeeded in writing a deeply emotional, thoughtful and subtle screenplay, which matches the tone of the whole picture perfectly, and which came almost as close to poetry as any screenplay does.

Colin Firth. Well, there's nothing much to say. Except, please just give him the Oscar? Feck it, give him two. He was just amazing, he was George. In a film stuffed to the brim with good performances (hi, Julianne Moore!), he managed to still give a stand-out breathtaking performance. Nicholas Hoult who, given the fact I don't watch Skins, I have only ever seen in About a Boy, was a wonderful supporting actor, and I am truly shocked he is not getting more accolades for his work in A Single Man. Ginnifer Goodwin, who, as we all know, I adore, was also good, except slightly underused, her character didn't play a particularly key role at all, which was a slight shame.

Oh and the music. I swear I haven't heard anything this beautiful since perhaps Atonement came out. How is it not nominated for best score? It's just so pretty. Indescribable. Just listen, please??

And to finish off, because I still don't think I've managed to convey the sheer beauty of this film, something that will perhaps give you a glimpse of it:

Oh and btw, Nicholas Hoult can wear a pair of white jeans. That is all :)

BAFTAS

2010-02-24T23:02:00.009Z

Yes I'm late...yes I know, and yes, you all owe this post to my incredibly bored and this-essay-is-so-stupid-I-want-to-stab-it friend at uni who got me to get off my bum and write it.

So Baftas,

The Good:

- Colin Firth won :D Having just returned from watching a Single Man and having been completely blown away I have to say I'm so ridiculously chuffed. Before watching it I wanted him to win because I love him, and I thought he would win because it's the Baftas and we like awarding our Brits. Now I want him to win everything (literally...I think someone should award him the universe...) because he was amazing, and I know he should have won because he. Was. Amazing. Words do not describe. Sheer utter perfection.

- Carey Mulligan won. The Education was lovely and she truly carried the film. Plus she was just so sweet and young and adorable. I kind of was hoping Saoirse would win too, although I know that's not possible, because out of an OK film she gave atruly wonderful performance. But still, can't have everything, and I truly did want Carey to win.

- The Young Victoria getting Costume and Hair and Make-up. It deserves them :)

The Bad:

- OK, so a this isn't so much bad as "meh". I haven't seen the Hurt Locker, but it seems a bit blah. I don't like war films much. Sorry. I'm sure the award is deserved, but when you haven't seen the film (and aren't going to because you really don't like violence and are a wimp etc) it's kind of dull. Plus, The Hurt Locker seems like a good film, but I like mine to be slightly more original and unusual, rather than just plain gritty and ticking all the right boxes. And despite not having seen it, I'm willing to bet a lot that (500) Days of Summer had a better screenplay, and that Avatar/ A Single Man/ Inglorious Basterds had better cinematography. But there you go. And plus, the struggle between Avatar and The Hurt Locker is slightly annoying. Avatar was good, but it wasn't the best I've seen all year. The thing is, a lot of very very good films have come out this year, but not many of them are getting a lot of fuss for Big Picture.

The Ugly:

- Kristen Stewart won Rising Star. kdnbesolsnpdjfkosolnf!!! Carey Mulligan! Nicholas Hoult! COME ON!!!

All in all, not the best ever. Last year was far more exciting, because I was so psyched about Slumdog Millionaire. This year, all my favourite films are being overshadowed by the bitch-fight going on between The Hurt Locker and Avatar. Sigh.

But still, pretty clothes:

Oh and, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!

The Young Victoria

2010-02-19T00:52:00.007Z

I am so so tired, this may well rank as one of the worst reviews ever written. Let's see how it goes...

So, The Young Victoria. I finally watched it today with two of my friends and am not entirely sure what to make of it. Certainly the concept is very interesting, a film attempting to show the oh-so-famous Queen Victoria, not as a stuffy mourning woman, but as a bright vivacious young girl suddenly taking on the huge responsibility and freedom of reigning over England. While I love period dramas, I don't really like ones about the monarchy, mostly because they tend to focus rather too much on matters of state and politics, whereas what I'm looking for in a period drama is - let's be honest here - romance, whether happy or not. The Young Victoria both fails and succeeds in this aspect. One of the main themes explored in the film is how this young queen manages the pressure of running the country at such a young age, especially given all sorts of pressure she is being put under by different people who wish to manipulate her and use her as a pawn in their own games. While this is interesting to some extent, and the conflict is beautifully portrayed by the gorgeous and incredibly talented Emily Blunt, it slows down the pace of the film and after a while becomes quite frankly dull.

Of course, there is a romance, but for the most part of the film the two lovers - Victoria and Albert for those of you who are really new - are kept apart and are only allowed to express their love through their letters. And given that the feel of the film at least is historically accurate, these aren't particularly passionate, at least from a modern perspective. However, once they do finally get together, the film does really pick up - the two leads, Blunt and Rupert Friend, play off each other beautifully and truly make us understand the love and devotion Victoria and Albert had for each other. Indeed, when they are on screen together, and particularly in the latter half where they actually act affectionately, it's simply lovely to watch. Emily Blunt is a wonderful actress, she plays Victoria with a mixture of subtlety, vivacity and sweetness, and Friend is just so damn adorable as the husband who loves his wife so much he is not afraid to stand up to her - something no other person in court will do.

Other aspects of the film are naturally lovely. As with The Duchess last year, the film is making most impact through it's costume and art design, and quite rightly too, as both were absolutely stunning. The soundtrack was pretty too, although not particularly memorable.

So, conclusion? Well, it was a very sweet gentle film, a well-made and solid period drama. But, personally, I would have liked more focus on the growing relationship between Victoria and Albert, as there was just so much potential there, both in the actors and in the story itself. But despite this, the film, particularly the latter half, was lovely and aw-inducing in several parts.

The Genius of Annie Leibovitz

2010-02-14T18:27:00.005Z

Vanity Fair is possibly one of my favourite magazines. Why? Because it combines fashion, culture, life and - particularly in the Hollywood issue - film in an immensely sophisticated and pretty way.

Oh, and Annie Leibovitz photographs for it frequently. And she. Rocks. My. Socks. I can't even begin to describe the way she captures each moment so perfectly, creating a deeply personal and beautiful shot. So instead I'll just show you her work for the Hollywood Portfolio this year, in which she for the second year running shows the deep connection between director and actor. Or in the case of James Cameron, his camera. Gotta love it.