When Your Shows Will Return

Today the new official trailer for Teen Wolf Season 3B came out and it just got me so excited for it to come back, and all my favourite shows which will be returning in the new year. So I thought I would make a little list to keep track of things:

• Sherlock Season 3: January 1st 2014. BBC One. 
• Community Season 5: January 2nd 2014. NBC.
• Teen Wolf Season 3B: January 6th 2014. MTV. 
• Girls Season 3: January 12th 2014. HBO.
• Shameless Season 4: January 12th 2014. Showtime. 
• Arrow Season 2, Episode 10: January 15th 2014. CW.
• Reign Season 1, Episode 9: January 23rd 2014. CW.
• The Walking Dead Season 4, Episode 9: February 9th 2014. AMC.
• Suits Season 3, Episode 11: March 6th 2014. USA Network. 
• Orphan Black Season 2: April 19th 2014. BBC America. 
• Hannibal Season 2: American Spring (Australian Autumn) 2014. NBC.

I'll try and keep this updated regularly because right now there are a few shows without determined dates yet.
Let me know what you think of the trailer in the comments!

Christmas Holiday Movie Guide

Everyday I'm getting more and more excited for Christmas. To be honest with you, it's not even for the presents, the time with family and friends or the time off work, it's for the movies. Here are a list of films that I'm looking forward to seeing these Christmas holidays:

The One You Have to See: The Wolf of Wall Street 
Coming out: December 25th. 
I'm basing the fact that you have to see it on four things:
1. Leonardo diCaprio.
2. Martin Scorsese directed it. 
3. The first trailer.
4. The second trailer.

The One for a Laugh: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Coming out: December 19th. 
I actually haven't seen the first Anchorman, but I really want to just so I can see this in the cinemas! I've heard lots of good things about the first one and I am a Paul Rudd devotee so I will make sure I see both the first one and the second one during the Christmas period.

The One with the Amazing Cast: American Hustle.
Coming out: December 12th.
Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. I think that's all I have to say. I actually don't really know what it's about, but for the reasons stated above, I'm definitely going to see this on December 12th and find out. 

The One for "The Whole Family": Frozen
Coming out: December 26th.
I really want to see this because it looks so cute! I've really been loving the stuff Disney has been coming out with lately (Tangled, Brave etc) so I think I'll have to see this too. I wish it was coming out here in Australia earlier than Boxing Day so it could get me more excited for Christmas but sadly I'll have to wait. 

The Must-See Sequel: The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Coming out: December 26th.
This is the one I have been waiting a very long time for. As much as I loved the first instalment, all I could think about was how good it was going to be to hear Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug in the next one. And it's finally here! "I am King Under the Mountain!" and "Well, thief, where are you? Come now, don't be shy. Step into the light" is everything we have heard so far from Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug but its got me even more excited for it (which I didn't think was possible). I don't want to tell you how many times I have clicked 'replay' just to listen to him say those two lines again . . .   

Is there anything else I should have added? Let me know in the comments what you're going to be seeing over this Christmas holiday!

Crossfire Hurricane

I was born in cross-fire hurricane

And I howled at my ma in the driving rain

- Jumping Jack Flash, The Rolling Stones

I was going to write a post today all about the movies that are coming out this Christmas, but I wasn't really feeling like it today. It was just one of those days, you know? Nothing in particular went wrong, but I just wasn't feeling particularly excited or happy. In hindsight, that is quite a shame because there were so many good things about today. The most exciting of all was that I managed to get tickets to see The Rolling Stones next year! I am so ecstatic about this, so I decided to come home after work and put on 'Crossfire Hurricane'. I've seen it quite a few times. I actually owe my love for the band from this HBO documentary. My parents were watching it when it came out late last year and I had sat down to watch a little bit of it and I never got up again until it finished. I watched it again the next day, and the day after that I borrowed a biography of Mick Jagger from the library and read it over the next few weeks. There was no way I wasn't going to get those tickets today.

If you don't know anything about The Rolling Stones, this is the documentary for you. It includes lots of snippets from their live performances so you can really get a feel for why they were, and continue to be, loved by so many people. There is also their history, which is told by them now and people who knew them during these times. There are lots of bits of pieces of film that have never been seen before, and it combines interviews with the band, live performances and videos of their daily lives perfectly.
Even if you do know a lot about the Stones, it's still really interesting to hear their version of the story and their views on the key moments in the bands history. 

Have you seen Crossfire Hurricane? Or have you seen The Rolling Stones live? Let me know in the comments! 

Dracula

This is NOT a spoiler-free post. 


When I heard this show was going to be coming out, I was so excited. There were numerous reasons, including the fact that I had loved NBC's work with Hannibal earlier in the year, I love everything about vampires and most of all, I am in love with Jonathan Rhys Meyers. 

However, this show hasn't really lived up to the expectations I had for it. I love watching JRM but that's about it. The characters of Jonathan Harkness, Van Helsing, Mina and Lucy are I can watch without my brain switching off, however no one else really makes me care about them. Also I am so confused about all the business dealing Dracula does throughout the show. I literally have no idea what's going on there. 
I will keep watching because my love for JRM is strong and I would like to know how Dracula's storyline with Mina works out and what's behind it all. Once that's figured out though, I'm not sure how much longer I can go without some drastic changes.

Dracula returns on January 3rd. 

What You Should Be Watching Now

These holidays I'm trying really hard to start (and hopefully finish) as many television shows that I have been meaning to watch as possible. So far I've started Mad Men and the second season of The Wire which I have been meaning to do for a long time. As hard as I am trying to get through these, I'm also struggling to keep up with what's on television at the moment.
But here's what I think you should be keeping up with that's currently airing on television:

• ARROW (Season 2): Billionaire Oliver Queen spent five years shipwrecked on an island and has come home to be a masked vigilante by night. It's based on DC comics, and in the latest episode there is a new character named Barry Allen who I hope gets plenty more screen time because he is gorgeous. The show is a little bit cheesy and over dramatic but it's well worth it just for the Oliver/Felicity scenes this season that have been making me swoon and laugh at the same time.
• SLEEPY HOLLOW: Based on the short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"written in 1820 by Washington Irving but it's based in the modern day. Basically it's about Lieutenant Abby Mills who solve supernatural cases with the newly resurrected Ichabod Crane from the 1700s. I'm not entirely fussed on the crimes that they solve and how they go about it. The reason I love it is because of the relationship between Mills and Crane, which is really cute and hilarious at the same time. My favourite parts of the show are watching Crane learn about modern day life and his reactions to it. 
• MASTERS OF SEX: A obstetrician and an ex-nightclub singer work together in the 1950s to learn more about human sexuality. Okay, so with this one there are only two episodes left now, but if you haven't bothered with it yet, start now. It's got a great cast, including Michael Sheen (from Diana, Midnight in Paris, Twilight etc) and Lizzy Caplan (Mean Girls, New Girl) who are the main two and I could basically just tell you to watch it because these two are amazing, but there is also the fact that it's fresh, interesting and very clever. 
• ELEMENTARY (Season 2): Modern day Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson, set in New York. This show just keeps getting better and better. I love everything that they do and I cannot say enough good things about this show. Everyone needs to watch Elementary, it's just so perfect. Ten extra points for Johnny Lee Millers (Holmes) facial expressions. 

• REIGN: Queen Mary Stuart of Scotland is sent to France because she has been promised to Francis, the Dauphin of France since they were little. I don't think it can even be called historical fiction because they've basically just used the same names and then made the stories completely their own (and the costumes are all stunning but couldn't ever be called accurate). I was recommended to watch it by a friend and I'm so glad they told me too, it's quickly become one of my favourite shows at the moment (probably a second to Elementary). I look forward to it every week now, and Toby Regbo who plays Francis is a very large reason for this. 
• THE CARRIE DIARIES (Season 2): Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City when she was a teenage girl. I'm loving this show more now it's in its second season. I have to admit the last few episodes of the first season really started grating on me because it got so repetitive with Carrie and Sebastian's relationship. I am a massive lover of Sebastian and his character but the whole "Is he good enough for her? Are they from two different worlds?" thing got a little boring after a while. Just decide and move on already, Carrie! Now the young Samantha has been introduced and I am loving her, but I'm a little bias because she was my favourite in SATC too. 

Also, I've also decided to make a page for shows that I'm currently watching and how up to date with them that I am, and shows that I want to watch. I feel like there should be so many more recommendations on this list but I don't watch them so I'm not able to. I want you to know that I don't leave shows like Sons of Anarchy or The Walking Dead (which I know are currently on TV at the moment) off the list because I don't like them, it's just because I haven't got to watching them yet. 

Let me know what shows you're loving at the moment in the comments!  

The Wire

“Nah, yo, it ain’t like that. Look, the pawns, man, in the game, they get capped quick. They be out the game early.”

“Unless they some smart ass pawns.” 

I think I've been watching too much of The Wire lately. Clay Davis' "Sheee-it" is slowly becoming part of my regular conversation and I've said the f-word more times in the last two days that I have in the last two months. 
This is one of the shows I've been trying to finish watching over the holidays, but I'm only up to the fifth episode of Season Two, so I've got a bit more before I finish as there is still three and half more seasons to go. But I kind of don't want to watch it too quickly because I am absolutely loving it. There are some of my most loved actors in it, including Dominic West, who plays the main protagonist Jimmy McNulty, plus there is also Idris Elba who plays Stringer Bell. 

This show is considered one of the greatest of all time. So you can see why I simply had to watch it, and if you do decide to watch it too, here's a warning: the first couple of episodes you're not going to have a clue what's going on. This is a show where the creator wants you to work for it. It took me until about episode four in season one before I had any idea of what was really going on. Aside from just trying to understand the Baltimore accents and slang (you may need subtitles) you also have to deal with an amazing script which was planned out all five seasons from the very beginning, so it's a little confusing to begin with. But trust me on one thing, it's worth all the confusion and hard work. 

Inside HBO's Game of Thrones

A few weeks ago I had the absolute pleasure of going to the Sydney Opera House to hear George R.R. Martin, Lena Headey and Michelle Fairely talk to hundreds of their fans about Game of Thrones.

It was such an amazing experience, to hear them all talking about the book and television series that I love so much. It also got me excited about the series again, after no television series for quite a few months now and after finishing all the books, I hadn't really been thinking about it too much. Now I can't stop.

The One True Queen of Westeros

Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark)

One of things I've done to feed my obsession was to buy the book 'Inside HBO's Game of Thrones' by Bryan Cogman. I purchased it on bookdepository.com for $18, which I think is quite reasonable for what you get, plus shipping is free (even to Australia!). So I thought, being so close to Christmas, I would show you a few pictures from the book. This would be such a nice gift to receive, so now you can either start hinting to someone to get it for you, or you give it to someone you know who loves the show.

This is a picture of my signed copy of 'A Game of Thrones' which I got on the night. We had to wait so long to see him, but it was well worth it and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Of course you're not limited to HBO's book, there are the actual books from the series, one of which is pictured below, or the DVD's, of which Season 1 pictured below (my friend is currently borrowing Season 2). There are also figurines, posters, keyrings and so much more.

I hope you guys enjoyed that because I certainly did. Let me know what you thought in the comments!

Catching Fire: Part II

THIS POST IS NOT SPOILER-FREE

So I promised you all a while back another (spoiler-ish) post on Catching Fire. Sorry it's a little late and a little short but here are some of my thoughts about the film.

"Claflin makes a fantastic Finnick. From the moment he first approaches Katniss before the victor’s parade, chomping on a sugar cube in a scene lifted directly from the book, he nails Finnick’s blend of charisma and slight danger; even if you’ve read the books and know about the relationship the two will develop, you wonder right alongside Katniss if Finnick is worth trusting. He’s charming, he’s beautiful, he’s a little wicked, but he’s also devoted to Mags (Lynn Cohen), the elderly fellow tribute from District 4; director Francis Lawrence develops their relationship even deeper than the book does, giving Finnick a larger soft side— but never letting go of the idea that he might betray our heroes without a moment’s notice."
(Katey Rich, CinemaBlend.com)

The quote sums up exactly how I felt about Sam Claflin's Finnick, with my only problem being that he needed more humour. Just little lines, like how he is in the book. All they gave him was the sugar cube introduction and then was no more. I still absolutely adored him though, and I can't wait to see more of him in Mockingjay. Jena Malone as Johanna Mason was so good. I wish there was more of her, I loved every second she was in. Like Finnick, I can't wait to see her in Mockingjay, especially to see her relationship with Katniss to grow. I wasn't that keen on Mockingjay being in two parts, but lately I've become more positive about the idea, especially to see more of Johanna and Finnick especially. 

One thing that really bothered my once they were in the Quell is there was no mention Katniss' "pregnancy". In the book it is a massive part, and Finnick (as well as others later) is better able to protect her by reminding her that she's pregnant and she shouldn't be taking dangerous risks. It is a little unbelievable that they never mention it again. On the other hand I really like how they handled the "love triangle". Katniss' line to Gale that she didn't have time to think about anything but her family and keeping her life was needed in the film, especially when the media focuses on that more than anything else when the movie has such other deeper and more important issues. 

Haymitch in this movie was a highlight for me, and I never imagined I would say that. He has never been someone I would look forward to being in scenes but this movie totally changed my mind. Woody Harrelson is such an amazing actor, and the little bits he adds to scenes are so touching. The little looks he gives to Effie, the way he gives these small touches to Katniss, they all just made me heart melt and made me love Haymitch even more.

All in all, I 100% totally loved this movie and I can't wait to watch it a third time in the cinema. I would also like the DVD now, so I can just watch it over and over again. 

November Favourites

(Loving) Film: This month was all about two films, both second instalments and both I saw twice in the cinema. Thor: The Dark World and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Needless to say I absolutely adored both of them and you can read my separate reviews here and here.

(Loving) Television: This month was a really good month of TV, with lots on. I hadn't been watching Reign but so many people told me I should be and so I managed to catch up with that in one day because I did really enjoy it. I have been steadily watching Season 1 of Carrie Diaries and have finally made it to Season 2. I felt it got a little repetitive at the end with Carrie and Sebastian's relationship so I got a little tired of it towards the end. Elementary was brilliant as usual I absolutely loved 50th Anniversary Episode for Doctor Who, The Day of the Doctor and you can read my review here.

(Loving) Reading: I haven't been reading much this month. Since Allegiant I haven't really been in the mood for anything particular. I've started a few books: The Vampire Academy and Bringing Up the Bodies (authors) but haven't got past the first few pages of either of them.

Michelle Fairley

(Loving) Random: One Direction's new album Midnight Memories has been on repeat since it came out. Better than Words and Diana are my two favourites. Fun for Louis one of my favourite Youtubers is in Australia at the moment so I've really been loving watching his videos (as always). Seriously, if you haven't watched his videos they are amazing. Louis is such a positive, giving and thoughtful person. He makes daily vlogs and I still can't understand how someone can have that many interesting things happen to them all the time! I went to a Game of Thrones evening at the Sydney Opera House in the middle of the month and I'm still not over how amazing it was. We heard from Lena Headey (Cercei Lannister), Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark) and the genius author George R.R. Martin.