Captain America: The Winter Solider

ONLY VERY MINOR SPOILERS.

I wouldn't say that Cap is my favourite Avenger (that honour goes to Thor) but he is a very close second. One of the reasons I love him is he is just so caring and loving. He absolutely does not want to hurt anyone and if you're his friend, then you are his friend for life and he will go out of his way to help you. Now I'm just getting emotional thinking about how I'd like to be his friend.

The Winter Soldier is much better than the first one. For one, the inclusion of the Black Widow makes the film a thousand times better. I need to see a Black Widow movie and soon. I would see that movie ten times just to do my bit for its box office numbers. She's intelligent, thoughtful, caring, stunning and my eyes just automatically go to her every time she's in a shot. I also liked that it's not just about one mission they all go on, but it's about SHIELD and we get to learn a lot more about the organisation and what is really going on there. 

My favourite scene: My favourite scene is definitely the part where Natasha and Steve are trying to hide so they go to the shopping centre and the Apple Store. That whole scene is hilarious and I could not stop laughing. I also have to say that I got the most excited I think I've ever been in the cinema at the mid-credits scene. We actually got a look at the twins, who are going to play a very big role in The Avengers 2, one of them is being played by one of my very favourite actors ever, Aaron Taylor-Johnson. 

My favourite character: There are too many! However, I think I have to say The Winter Soldier is my favourite character in this film. He just makes me so sad the entire time, I wanted to sob every time he was on screen, especially at the ending. Sebastian Stan is truly an amazing actor, especially seeing as most of the acting he had to do was in the eyes. I'm excited to see where they go from here with this storyline. It's already confirmed that they are making a third instalment, set for release in May 2016. 

My least favourite character: I'm probably going to have to go down the easy route and say Alexander Pierce, played by Robert Redford, who is everyone's least favourite character. If you want a slightly more controversial answer I will tell you that I am not a big fan of Nick Fury and I find his scenes quite tedious.

Overall this was a really great film which I 100% recommend for everyone to go and see (if you've seen the first one - it won't really work if you haven't seen the first one). It's really encouraging to see that each of Marvel's works keep improving and it just makes me more excited for the films yet to come (I'm looking at you Guardians of the Galaxy!). 

March Favourites

(Favourite) Television: This month there is one particular stand out for a television series I have been loving this month and that is Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I have absolutely no words for how much I love this series. It's definitely a new favourite, and I will be adding it to 'My Favourites' list as soon I am done writing this post. It's a hilarious, fresh comedy with one of the most perfect casts I've ever watched and is truly groundbreaking. This show should be mandatory watching for everyone. I don't want to go on and on about how amazing it is but seriously, just do yourself a favour and if you're not watching it already: GO! (I actually give you permission to leave this blog post on the condition that you watch this show it is that amazing . . . and then come back and read the rest!)
I also have to give a massive honourable mention to My Mad Fat Diary. I won't talk about it much here, because I want to write a whole post on it and I'm only just finished Season 1, so watch this space! 

(Favourite) Film: Surprisingly, March has been a pretty good month for films and I. Usually, I will watch two or three films in a month, four if I'm lucky. I do favour television quite a bit more. This month, for some reason, I found more and more I was wanting to watch a film over any episodes of television I had lined up. I think that there were a lot of reasons for this, one of which was the fact that I crammed in heaps for before the Oscars, the other of which was I'm in a little bit of a television rut at the moment (I think I just have too many choices!). I'll be writing a small post about the films I have been watching, so keep an eye out for that, but without further ado, onto my favourite which I have to say was: Howl's Moving Castle. I have never watched a Studio Ghibli film before this, so I didn't know what to expect but I can tell you that since watching this I have now seen another three and plan on seeing many more. They were all films that are just enjoyable, cute and fun. The animation is absolutely stunning and so beautiful. I do have a post coming up on the films I watched in March so look out for that soon!

(Favourite) Reading: February was a big month for reading. I was on holiday in Hawaii and I just powered through quite a few books that I had been meaning to read for ages. March, with the start of uni again, has seen a rapid decline in my reading time. I am going to do a bog post sometime soon about some books I've been loving/looking forward to reading, so keep an eye out for that too. Here's an Empire article I absolutely adored reading: it's the exact article that Empire published in their June 1994 issue about the movie Four Wedding's and a Funeral (if you weren't already aware, that's my favourite movie). For this month's favourite I have to go with something I've read before and that is Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. Unlike the other two in the series (The Hunger Games and Catching Fire) I haven't read this one since I originally did around three years ago. Since I saw Catching Fire I have wanted to re-read because I just couldn't really remember any of the details of what happened anymore. I finally managed to start it again a few days ago and I've just really been enjoying it. It's almost like reading it for the first time again. I have had to put it down a few times because I couldn't see the pages through my tears (no one mention Finnick) but it's also helped me get back into reading as I've started and finished two more books in the mean time. 

This photo is of Jared Leto in a dragon/lizard onesie (not that you can really tell).

(Favourite) Random: I think the most exciting thing that happened to me this month was the fact that I bought VIP tickets to meet Benedict Cumberbatch. Yes, I did pay an arm and a leg for them, but I am so excited and I think it will definitely be worth it, considering it will probably be the highlight of my life year (no pressure Benedict!). It's not until April 13th, but it's just under two weeks away now and I'm not sure I can get anymore excited! The other other highlight happened just a couple of days ago: I got see 30 Seconds to Mars live in concert! They were so amazing, it was definitely one of my favourite concerts I've ever been to. I just love every single one of their songs and Jared Leto is such an amazing performer, I'm so happy I've seen them live. 

Let me know what you've been loving the past month in the comments! 

Road to the Oscars: Day Six (Her)

Falling in love is a crazy thing to do. 

It's kind of like a socially acceptable form of insanity.

Post contains minor spoilers. 

I find the whole concept behind ‘Her’ very interesting. It freaks me out how possible this future could be. 'Her' is a movie about Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) who is living in a future city of Earth/America. In this future everyone is very reliant on technology already, but this new Operating System (OS) comes out that is like having a friend and a computer in one and is basically meant to be suited specifically to you. Theodore's OS is named Samantha, and she is voiced by Scarlett Johansson. I find the idea of having my own ‘Samantha’ quite exciting. Someone to always talk to, and that always wants to talk to you and know about your day. I don’t know, I guess I just find that idea quite comforting. I suppose that really says something about my life, doesn’t it? I don’t think, however, I would ever be a person who could fall in love with one an OS. At the beginning, where Theodore and Samantha were just meeting and getting to know each other, I found myself smiling along and thinking it was quite cute how quickly they had become close friends. When they started 'dating' however, I found myself starting to cringe a little. I was not as comfortable with it as some characters in the movie were. 

I think it would have been extremely hard for both Johansson and Phoenix. Johansson, because she had to make sure her voice was exactly on point with every single thing she said. It had to convey so much emotion, and I think she managed to pull it off spectacularly. If I was going to fall in love with anyone’s voice, Scarlett’s would definitely be on that list (Ben Whishaw, Tom Hiddleston and Bianca Lawson are all on that list too by the way). Phoenix had the difficult task of having to always be on camera, even when it was Samantha talking. His face had to play for two characters. Again, I think the casting was pretty darn perfect. I really enjoyed Amy Adams' character, also named Amy, and Rooney Mara’s character, Catherine. I think the two women, who were quite different in their personalities and different in roles they played in Joaquin’s life, really gave depth to the story and added to my understanding and feelings towards Johansson’s OS character. 

This movie won't win Best Picture, but it is certainly thought-provoking and an extremely interesting movie to see. I highly would recommend watching it with an open mind. 

As always, let me know in the comments what you thought if you've seen it!

Road to the Oscars: Day Five (Gravity)

Life in space is impossible.

I didn’t want to see this movie. When the trailer first came out, with Sandra Bullock’s endless heavy breathing and screaming, I thought to myself that there was no way in hell you were going to get me to sit through that for an hour and half. 

Then it came out and all I heard were positive reviews. I still didn’t give in though, I still wasn’t sure I could handle it. That trailer had just freaked me out. 

Then my best friend saw it. Said it was good, I’d like it. I thought to myself, sure, I’ll watch it. I’ll just put on my ‘to-watch list’ and it can sit on that list until the moment arrives where I have to watch it or perhaps, for some strange reason one day, I feel like watching it. 

Well I guess that moment arrived. No, not the one where I feel like watching it: the one where I have to watch it. It was nominated for Best Picture, and I’ve decided to review each nominee. I guess I really dug my own hole with that one. 

That whole story is really to just inform you how much I didn’t want to see this movie and how wrong I was. Basically there are two characters in this movie, Ryan Stone is played by Sandra Bullock and Matt Kowalski is played by George Clooney. There is a few other voices for a while, but that’s seriously about it. It’s strange, but oddly, it works. I thought I would have a problem with just Bullock, Clooney and a whole lot of space and heavy breathing but I have to admit that I didn’t even notice it untilI I had finished watching it. Bullock holds her own really well, and there is enough drama for the audience to be entertained while still only have one person on their screen. 

Understandably, the things that happen in this movie are quite unbelievable, but that’s alright with this movie because it’s space, and space itself is so unbelievable that you could say or do anything with it and I would believe you, no questions asked. 

Also, something happened to me which usually doesn’t happen when I watch a film: I fell for a character’s backstory. I can do it super easy with television, and in films where they are based on books I’ve read, but when it’s just a film, I find I don’t always get into them because it’s just too cliche for me. Somehow it feels too quick. However, the five minutes where Kowalski is trying to calm Stone down and ask her questions about her life, just really got to me. There were even a few tears. That’s how good Bullock is in this movie; I fell for some sad backstory. 

I don’t think this will win any Oscars. Perhaps for cinematography (and special effects or something) but Bullock won’t win Best Actress because that belongs undoubtably to Cate Blanchett. It also won’t win Best Picture but I’ll tell you something I wouldn’t have ever dreamed of saying a few days ago: I’m glad it was nominated. 

Road to the Oscars: Day Four (12 Years a Slave)

“Racism is not dead. It’s not. And that’s why this film is so important. To understand American society today, it starts with these kinds of stories, and the fact that they haven’t been dealt with yet. There’s work to be done." 

- Lupita Nyong'o

I watched 12 Years a Slave yesterday. I was going to write a post about it yesterday, but I couldn't bring myself to do it so I wrote about Dallas Buyers Club instead. I couldn't do it because I just feel like it's such a hard thing to write about. Instead I've kind of put together some words from other people along with my own. 

The movie is based on the 1853 memoir of the freeman Solomon Northup (who is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The movie is bleak, uncomfortable, terrifying, depressing but it is also "visceral, truthful and electrifyingly 'real'" (here). When I say that this movie is bleak, uncomfortable, terrifying and depressing, what I mean is, that it's exactly what director Steve McQueen wants you to feel. His shots are "intended to induce claustrophobia, physical and existential" and all his images have "considerable power" (here). 

Everyone in this movie is perfect. The whole cast is so exceptional, with performances from Lupita Nyong'o, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt and Sarah Paulson. Everyone deserves the praise they are receiving for this movie. I wish I could write more about it but really, there isn't much more I need to say other that I believe everyone should watch this movie. Not only because it a cinematic masterpiece but also because it is important for people to see the issue of slavery and racism being tackled on screen.

This will win Best Picture, I'm sure it will, and I hope it does too. It will also hopefully win Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o, and hopefully an Oscar for Chiwetel Ejiofor too (if McConaughey doesn't edge him out). 

Road to the Oscars: Day Three (Dallas Buyers Club)

I can handle your insults, but 5%?

25. Take it or leave it.

For those of you who read my February favourites post a couple of days ago, you'll know that Matthew has been absolutely blowing my mind lately. With work like True Detective, Mud and Magic Mike he has gone from an actor I would avoid like the plague to one of my favourite actors at the moment, extremely quickly. Even his short role in The Wolf of Wall Street was outstanding. He has finally shown us his true potential as an actor, a real “McConaughnaissance” (I wish I had come up with this, but sadly the author of this very interesting article on the relationship between the Oscars and bloggers got there first). His performance as Ron Woodroof, who is diagnosed with AIDS and told he has 30 days to live, is brilliant and thought-provoking. Woodroof is not just portrayed as a two-dimensional “do-gooder” whose trying to save lives, but as a real human being, with shades light and dark. A man who is often homophobic and out to make a profit, but will stand up for the people he trusts and loves. 

With all that praise just heaped on McConaughey, I now want to state that I thought Jared Leto was just as amazing, if not slightly better. Now I could be a little bias here, because I’ve loved Leto for longer than I have McConaughey (who I’ve really only loved since True Detective started), but I don’t think I am when I say in this film Leto can be a bit of scene stealer. All eyes are focused on him and what he’s saying when he’s on screen. And although I don’t truly believe this, I have to admit I had a good chuckle when I read the fact that “Leto lost the most weight and wore eyeliner” made him "a shoo-in for Best Supporting Actor” (again, taken from here). There has been a lot of discussion about Leto’s character, Rayon, and his casting. I believe that they definitely should have cast a transgender person to play the part. But sadly, they didn’t and Leto has done a pretty amazing job in their absence. 

The film itself is quite conservative, especially considering the subject its dealing with. While we see Ron regularly engaging in sexual activities before his diagnosis, post-diagnosis he is shown as abstinent except for one woman who he makes very sure also has AIDS. As this review points out, “the idea of safe sex for people with HIV is not discussed, and it is unusual for a movie on this subject to avoid the subject of condoms so entirely”. It also hardly deals with any of the politics behind the issue at the time (Reagan era America) but I don't know whether it's lacking because of it or whether it's better focusing on what the people were doing. 

Dallas Buyers probably won’t win Best Picture but I’ll tell you that it has a definite winner in Jared Leto for Best Supporting Actor and a very good chance with McConaughey for the award of Best Actor.

Road to the Oscars: Day Two (American Hustle)

Some of this actually happened.

American Hustle confuses me. Before trying to write this I went and read some other critics reviews because I wasn't one hundred per cent sure how I felt about it. What I found was everything from blatant hatred for the film to those who couldn't praise it high enough. Obviously the Academy agrees more with the latter, or it wouldn't be nominated for ten Oscars at the upcoming ceremony, one of which is 'Best Picture'. 

I have to admit, the film surprised me when I first watched it. The trailer hadn't done it any favours and there were honestly only five reasons I went to see it: Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. I definitely hadn't expected a comedy. Did anyone? A comedy about government corruption in the 70s? But I did laugh a lot throughout the film. Admittedly it was mostly laughter about the state of Christian Bale's body and Bradley Cooper's hair but there were definitely other funny parts too. Jennifer Lawrence dancing to 'Live and Let Die' certainly springs to mind. 

I agree a lot with what critic David Thompson had to say about the film in his review. Firstly, the film goes for 129 minutes, which Thompson believes is "29 minutes too long". There were many parts that they could have cut out, all of which while slightly amusing or interesting, did not add to the story at all. Secondly, he says that "one could be forgiven for thinking that the entire movie is an opportunity for these actors to read an outline of script and take it from there" and that it could easily be seen as an "after-hours jam session" for the actors. I can't help but agree. The performances were great, but it seemed too easy in some parts and a lot of the script could be called 'monotonous' without hearing any arguments from me. 

I could see it winning the Oscar for Best Costume Design, because it was pretty amazing, but if it was up to me, that would be the only one. With all that said, it definitely deserves to be on the list of the top nine films for the last year, it just won't win Best Picture. 

Road to the Oscars: Day One (The Wolf of Wall Street)

Over the next week I plan to do something a little different: I'm going to try and watch all the films nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this year.

For those of you who don't know, the nominees are:

• American Hustle
• Captain Phillips 
• Dallas Buyers Club
• Her
• Gravity
• Nebraska
• Philomena 
• The Wolf of Wall Street
• 12 Years a Slave

Previous to starting this week I have already seen three of the nominees: American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club and The Wolf of Wall Street. As there are 9 films and only seven days until the Oscars I will be including two films in one of the days post. 

So without any further delays, here is today's review on The Wolf of Wall Street. 

My name is Jordan Belfort. 

The year I turned 26 I earned 49 million dollars, 

which really pissed me off 'cos it was three shy of a million a week.

Me, I love a good trailer for a movie. I'll watch them over and over again. I've even been known to download them onto my Ipod just so I can listen to them while I'm out and about. I'll also see anything Leonardo DiCaprio is in. He's actually one of the three actors in the world I have given myself the task to watch their entire volume of work (Edward Norton and Ben Whishaw being the other two). So when the first trailer for The Wolf of Wall Street was released in June last year you could say I was a little bit ecstatic. It's one of those very rare perfectly made trailers, with a brilliant song (Kanye West's 'Black Skinhead'), perfect editing and hilarious quotes that make you want to watch the movie right then and there. The only problem was I had to wait until January 23rd. 
Not even December 25th like the rest of the world. It was a long wait.

I was able to be consoled a little when I managed to get advanced screening tickets and see it three days earlier than the rest of Australia. I love seeing movies in advanced screenings or on the day they are released. Aside from the fact that you get to see the movie before the majority of the population, you are sitting in the cinema with a crowd who wants to be there. They've been waiting for it as long as you have. They've watched all the trailers, the interviews and they are just as excited as you are to see if it exceeds their expectations. This crowd was no exception. They fed off the amazing energy the whole cast throughout this movie. We were all in stitches during the Quaaludes scene and audible gasps were heard throughout the cinema in the very funny but very shocking big party scene with Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie. 

I 100% agree with this film's nomination for an Academy Award. This is one of Scorsese's finest work. It's definitely too long and I feel like there were little bits and pieces they could have left out, but it was an amazing roller coaster of emotions and reactions. I was laughing so hard one minute and then the next you're just left feeling a little grossed out, shocked or just empty. There isn't too much of a plot, it just outlines how Belfort started out in stocks and then focuses mainly on his life while the police were investigating him and his company. It's very interesting to see if only for the fact that while you're laughing at the incredibly ridiculous situations that are happening, there is also the thought in the back of your mind that this actually happened. This was someone's life. 

What stands out in this movie are the performances. Margot Robbie somehow managed to steal scenes from Leo. This is arguably Jonah Hill's best performance to date. McConaughey was on the screen for a maximum of ten minutes in the very beginning but still managed to be one of the best parts and Leo, well he was so good I hardly have the words. If he finally wins the Academy Award he so deserves this year, it will be for the right film, and even though it's the toughest competition in a long time for Best Actor, I don't think you'll hear too many people arguing. 

February Favourites

I've decided to write a little bit of a catch up/February favourites because I haven't written in a while.

(Favourite) Television Show(s): Febrauary has been a great month for television. So many shows are back, and I'm loving all the new storylines. However, I can't write about all of them here so I've chosen my top three. Of course the start of Teen Wolf has been the highlight of my life month. Season 3B started off in January quite slowly, but is quickly picking up the pace and every episode is just getting better and better. There is so much mystery and intrigue this season and there is so much potential, I absolutely can't wait to see where it ends up (although I also can because I don't want it to end!). I spent the first couple of days in February watching the 2013 mini-series Top of the Lake with Elizabeth Moss (Peggy from Mad Men). It's directed and written by Jane Campion, who wrote and directed one of my favourite movies Bright Star. It's a drama/crime series set in New Zealand, and it's pretty similar to ITV's Broadchurch. I very highly recommend both. Moss is brilliant, displaying so much raw emotion in every single episode.

True Detective: Episode 1

The third TV show I have been loving this month has been HBO's new series True Detective. I feel like this show just came out of nowhere. I saw it advertised on a billboard a few days before it started and was intrigued by the fact Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey were in a television series. I loved it from the first episode and somehow every episode manages to make me love it even more. McConaughey is absolute perfection playing Rust Cohle. I honestly think this is his best work to date and I cannot recommend this show highly enough. It's already made it onto my favourite television list.

(Favourite) Film: To be completely honest I haven't watched too many films this month. The absolute stand out that I have watched definitely has to be Dallas Buyers Club. It's really been McConaughey month this February. He was outstanding in Dallas Buyers, so much so I would not mind seeing him beat Leonardo Di Caprio for the Oscar (yes, I said it). Jared Leto will without a doubt win Best Supporting Actor for his role as well, he was phenomenal. The story itself was so heartbreaking, but quite inspiring and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

I'm not going to write a section for my favourite books this month because I (fingers crossed!) will be doing a blog post solely on books I've been loving lately sometime in early March.

Hope you enjoyed that, let me know what you're favourites for this month were in the comments!

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.