Charity Shops, Jumble Sales and Carboots.

For those of you who know me and for those of you who don’t, I appreciate a good charity shop haul.

Most of my friends are quite cold when it comes to charity shops, and will not step foot in one, unless I drag them in. When this happens, they normally have a face of thunder, (apart from the odd few who sodding love it like I do, seriously we hit carboots with the excitement of going out.)

The irony for those who hold ‘thunder face’ is that most of the time when they say “oh I like *whatever item*” it’s usually the second hand stuff.  SO THERE.

What I want to ask is why there’s such a hang up about charity shops/carboots or jumbles’ .  Just because its second hand doesn’t mean that it’s bad. I’ve found better quality stuff in a charity shop than say, in Primark, NewLook or Jack Wills. Another thing is, just because it’s second hand does not mean that somebody died in it. I mean, sure, there’s always a possibility. But it’s rare.

The thing is, for those of you who don’t want to wear what everybody else is wearing well then charity shops, carboots and jumbles’ are the way to go. Some of you may be thinking ‘sure, if you wanna wear what everybody was wearing 4 years ago’. Granted, this sometimes is the case. BUT if you have a rummage you can find some beauts, and not just that top you saw in H&M three years ago.

I mean, okay, you can get some stonking outfits for fancy dress etc, but there’s everyday items too.

People tend to forget that charity shops, carboots and jumbles aren’t just about clothes,  you can get a range of stuff from there for example I have seem to obtained an ungodly amount of DVDs, vinyl and books. In addition to picking up the odd bit of brick a brack during my visits.

So my challenge to you dear readers, is to step into a charity shop, go to a carboot sale or visit a jumble sale. I’m not telling you to buy stuff, just go and see what you can find; and don’t be afraid to get stuck in.

50 Shades (Film)

So  ladies and gents. I actually went to go and see 50 Shades. And I don't really know what to say.

 

Firstly, let me paint you a picture. After being ear-bent by my friend to go and see it, I finally caved. This ‘friend’ later decided they no longer wanted to see it in fear of seeing somebody they knew at the cinema. However by this time I had my mind set about going to see it. So I did. On my own. How Awkward.

I’m not too sure if it was just the film or the crap content (see earlier post to read me slating the book), but I found it genuinely painful to watch.

The acting was rather wooden, and not helped by the score like some bad acting. This is not to say that score was crap as Danny Elfman actually bossed it (as per) when it did kick in and some of the tunes that are involved are amazing and honestly, the only reason that I stayed in the cinema.

This film it meant to be about chemistry amongst other things, and there just wasn’t any there. Also, a completely petty point, but Jamie (Mr Grey) has really strange thumbs- they look more like a big toe, and for a person who doesn’t really like feet, having mutant toe-hands blown up on the screen is not ideal.

Celestial music is played when Ana is placed on a cross for sexytime. Now, in all honesty I found this super awkward to watch, along with the shots used it just made for a super cheesy and cliché scene.

The accuracy of the film is also a little off; I know it’s yet again a minor point. But if you’re aiming to make a box-office smash hit, PLEASE MAKE IT ACCURATE.

So my point is: audiences are allowed to read the characters texts Hollyoaks-style. Yet - Mr Grey has an iphone. Check. And Ana has a beat up old phone (not a smartphone of any sort). Check. So the colour of the text should be green right? WRONG. Its blue and blue is for imessages in my mind. I don’t know why this tiny detail bugs me so much, but it does.  SORT IT OUT.

However, it has to be said that in its first week it did smash it in the cinema, but whether people enjoyed it or not is another matter.

I don’t know if I noticed these petty things in the first place because I found the film that boring, or if others picked up on it? (If you’ve watched it please let me know).

Overall- I certainly wouldn’t watch it again, but for those of you who do wanna see it- go for it & get it out of your system!

I realise this isn’t really a constructive review- but I have nothing to say but rant, so sorry ‘bout that.

Let me know your opinions on the film by email or comment.

BAFTA EXCITEMENT.

BAFTAsBAFTAsBAFTAs BAFTAsBAFTAsBAFTAsBAFTAsBAFTAsBAFTAsBAFTAsBAFTAsBAFTAs. This is what has been going through my head recently.

So I hope that some of you watched it last night in all its glory.

The one thing I really like about the BAFTAs is that while it’s considered a super prestigious award, it hasn’t got all the prestigious bullshit like some of its neighbouring awards.  Because of that, it’s actually worth a watch. If you don't know much about the nominees from this year, have a look at this.

As per, the glamorous and talented (and the not-so) were out in force last night for the awards, and thankfully the BBC televised the whole darn lot. Mum and I took over the living room- blankets, tea and rainbow-drops everywhere; and it was ruddy marvellous.

Everybody was looking so fancy in their dresses and suits (who cannot love a man in a suit) & it was nice to see that all the stops were pulled out. Stephen Fry was on top form as usual with his witty comments and sexual advances, and actually was a fairly decent host in comparison to some hosts in previous years. He did particularly well not to do a JohnTravolta!

However, it has to be said that none of the award winners were really a surprise, apart from the odd few. So in that retrospect, it was a little disappointing, although it must be said that all of the awards were extremely well deserved.  You can find a full list of the nominees and winners here. I won’t put it here in case you lovelies haven’t watched it yet.

The acceptance speeches were a little emosh. this year, like way more than normal. We had a few watery eyes, and A LOT of mentions of mums and dads. (The whole mum and dad thing surprised me, as most people stick to their spouse, kids, agents and directors etc.) And BLESS EDDIE REDMAYNE, you could see him shaking from a mile off!

Unfortunately I missed all the hype on Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Facebook as the internet on my phone conked out which was BALLS. In previous years I’ve found that getting involved on these platforms is half the fun! Readers, I ask you to look at all of your standard social media outlets and just get lost in the BAFTA hype,  get chatting, discussing or even arguing with fellow BAFTA nerds. It’s so. much.fun.

All in all this year’s BAFTAs were wonderful as usual, with some really deserving winners. If you missed it, and want to watch it in all its glory, click the link.

 

ENJOY MY FELLOW FILM FREAKS.

Tumblr

Firstly, I'd like to apologise as I've neglected this for a few weeks. BUT. I'M BACK.  I wrote this a few weeks ago, but never posted it- so, enjoy.

You know what?  I sodding love Tumblr.

For those of you who have not stumbled across Tumblr – have you been living under a rock ?!! Even if you don’t have your own page, you can trawl through others- seriously go look up something of interest to you- believe me you’ll get hooked!

The thing with Tumblr is you can actually say what you think and nobody gives a damn. Unlike Facebook or Twitter where if people post about life, you generally just scroll through thinking “what an attention seeking whore.”  On Tumblr- you can do that, and you’re generally going to get a lot of other people supporting your views or making you chuckle, and that’s bloody amazing.

It’s like, when you want to get obsessive over something, have a rant, ask questions, post about life or whatever-  you can, and it’s totally fine! You don’t tend to get judged on Tumblr, you’re more likely to be commended. Therefore looking and reposing a million pictures of your celebrity crush is totally acceptable and I like that a lot.

I mean if you can’t post/search numerous pictures of Dan Smith from Bastille, Nico Mirallegro, Matt Lewis or Douglas Booth to name but a few on a website to help you procrastinate from whatever you are actually meant to be doing and have fellow fans obsess over them with you- well, what is the darn point of the internet?!?

The thing I really love is the support you can get when posting your thoughts, because it makes you realise that you’re not as weird as you once thought you were!

For example- when I posted about the fact I was pissed that my housemate broke my fibre-optic Christmas tree- a darling “Anon” commented that I should “melt candy canes in their eyes to show them the true meaning of Christmas” as way of revenge. While a little sadistic, it did make me smile- notgonnalie.

Another thing with the conversational element of Tumblr is that you can ask questions and people will tell you the outright truth (which is sometimes a bit harsh, yet refreshing.) People aren’t afraid to tell you that you’ve been a dick or that you done the right thing…. I mean I’ve asked questions like:

1.       Q. Is it wrong that I enjoy driving with my subs on- resulting in me looking like a total prick?

A.      As long as you’re under 30 its fine. (Apparently)

 

2.       Q. Was it wrong to make out with some guy for 3 Jagerbombs and a packet of Mini Cheddars?

A.      No, as long as it was a big packet of Mini Cheddars. (Yes it was)

 

3.       Q. Is it strange that I find Tom Jones mildly attractive?

A.      Nope, he’s a silver fox. (True story bro.)

4.       Q. Was I too harsh- getting revenge on my housemates in crazy ways for weeks of not washing their stuff up?

A.      You need to calm down. (You don’t understand.)

 

5.       Q. Does anybody else get really irritated by all the 13yr old boys dressing like Joey sodding Essex?

A.      I think it’s cute ( R E A L L Y ?!?!?!)

 

6.       Q. Does anybody else still enjoy climbing trees?

A.      Yes. (It’s the best thing.)

 

 

As well as other probing questions…

 

But sometimes you just need to get these things off of your chest!

 

It’s also great for getting into/ expressing film and TV fandoms (I love a good fandom) OH SO MANY GIFS,  and witty comments! I’ve got so much time for witty comments..

It also lets you find out what your friends are really thinking ( Although this can result in a lot of arguments! God, 6^th form was a bitch-fest.) But if you can’t come to irrational conclusions through irrelevant posts- you’re missing the point of being a teenage girl right?

 

So really Tumblr can be a wonderful thing, as well as a steppingstone to mayhem. So proceed with caution. But enjoy.

The Theory Of Everything.

I saw this film last week and you know what? Its bloomin marvellous.

Its part biopic and part love story about the life of Steven Hawking. Starring Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne with a wonderful supporting cast featuring names such as David Thewlis and Maxine Peake amongst others.

I think it may be one of the best films I’ve seen in years, that’s why I urge you all to go and see it. (or just go make the most out of Orange Wednesdays before they finish).  You become totally enraptured by the film when watching it, unlike many films where you may find yourself thinking- crap, I wonder if I closed the bathroom window, or- ah man, I need a wee- and I’m in the middle of the row, shit, people are going to hate me.  YOUR BLADDER WILL WAIT FOR THIS FILM.

The film is well produced and brilliantly scripted. However I really think that it is the cast that carries the film.  Eddie Redmayne is amazing! One of the best performances I’ve seen. He really transforms into Steven Hawking and truly deserves the Golden Globe for best actor that he got last night.  After watching a few of the promos on Film 4, I learnt that he (Eddie) created a chart for each scene- marking the decline of muscular control in order to ensure for continuity and reality. I’ll tell ya what, it sodding worked. It was really brilliantly played. YOU GO EDDIE!

I enjoyed the fact that it was not portrayed as a sob-story, the lead character was exactly that- the lead; not some shrivelling form of a character. Considering the content, this was really nice to see.

However, just to warn you, it may not be a “I feel sorry for you” sort of emotional, but it is a “dear god, what is the meaning of life” sort of emotional. I cried, and I never cry – the most you’ll get is a watery eye. So if it can move somebody with the emotional capacity of a clock, well good luck to those of you who cry normally!

The cinematography and score are on a whole other level, and they complement it really well- the thing that is great with this film is that it doesn’t lack in any form, which, recently, I have found a fair few films doing.

I can’t really explain any more without ruining the film, but it really is a wonderful film, so go and see it, let me know what you think.

50 Shades.

Most of you are probably thinking… you’re two years too late for this love. You know what? You’re probably right.

I thought I would give it a read anyway so see what all the hype is about, and to be honest I didn’t find it that amazing. If all you want is an easy read- go for it, it’s not mentally tedious, and is fairly simple.

I’m guessing most of you know vaguely what it’s about, and if not basically, it’s meant to be an erotic love story. Let me tell you more…

You can seem to get all three (it’s a trilogy) in special offers at various places which makes it pretty cost effective. Or, you can do what I did- and pop into your local charity shop… I managed to get all three for £2.25!  I mean you might have to deal with the awkward conversation between you and the person behind the till –which is normally along the lines of

Them: “ooo that looks nice, good bargain that! I could do with this myself”. Me:Haha yeah it’s nice isn’t it.” then *awkward stare at the floor. However with these particular books you may have to deal with- as I did -

Them:“ooo I love those books, the second book is so much better. It’s soo good some of my pages have got stuck together” *wink.   Me: ”ah, erm, right, ha” then *throw up in mouth, and rush home to Dettol surfaces of book. 

So if you don’t mind these awkward comments, have a gander round the charity shops to see what you can find.

As for the book itself – I’ve only read the first one so far, and it’s wayyy more tame than I expected. I think I expected so much more because there was so much hype around the book and its apparent raunchiness, but to be honest I was a little disappointed, there wasn’t that much- and I’ve read worse. Another element that it was lacking in was the whole story line- it seemed to be quite jumpy and didn’t have much to it. To be fair, it is stemmed from a Twilight Fanfic- so what can you expect (oooo burrrrnn). One thing that I didn’t really get that a lot of my friends who have read it seem to go on about is the ‘love story’ element of the book- I wouldn’t count it as a ‘love story’- more like a ‘psychotic controlling stalker- story’. I’m just saying- if you were in a relationship like that (go and read the book to know what I’m on about) - and think it’s normal. Well. Then. You have issues. You should really… RUN FOR THE BLOODY HILLS AND NEVER LOOK BACK.

The thing with this book is that people make assumptions as soon as they see the cover because it has so much hype around it. People WILL judge you for reading it- I can’t even begin to describe the judgmental glares on the tube, you know that they are all thinking “ oooo, know what she’s reading about…”. However it wasn’t that that got me, it was my friends and family who haven’t read the book that seemed to be the most ‘opinionated’ about me reading it (or maybe they were just the ones who told me what they really thought, so be prepared). And what did they think I hear you ask. Well. Apparently, if you read this book, and are a single 20-something. YOU ARE A SEX-FIEND.

I beg to differ.

Another reason that I wanted to read this book was because it is being turned into a film. (Being released on Valentine’s day- urrgh.) I wanted to know how they would do this without it basically being up-market porn, and to be honest, I still don’t know.

Really, who is going to see it? I just think it’s going to be a massive flop. You’re not gonna go with your mates to see it, or your significant other, or on a date, and if you go on your own that’s just a little strange. The only way that I think it could save itself it though DVD sales and merch, but that’s still pushing it.

So dear readers, if you want to read something senselessly easy with mild bits of story line and sexual imagery, go for it. This is the book for you. However if you want something with more ummph to it, avoid it like the plague.

Let me know what your views about the book and its transformation to film are, write a comment or drop me an email. I’m interested in hearing your views. I’ll let you know what I think of the other two books in duration.

 

 

 

Happy New Year

In all honesty, recently – I’ve found myself in a bit of a rut. Graduating from Uni, moving back in with my mum and dad, as well as having no luck whatsoever finding a job.

Having all of these elements makes it quite difficult to think of all the things I’ve achieved this year, and with the new year upon us and everybody being all “OMG I’ve had the most A M A Z I N G G G G year blah blah blah” I find myself zoning out or imagining them with a Mohawk whilst trying to fain interest.  

BUT REALLY if I look back on the year, I have achieved a HELL OF A LOT.

Like, seriously, I graduated from uni!?! How the hell did that happen- yes there were moments of doubt that it would ever happen, along with mild hysterical outbursts of crying in the library as all the days merged into one. The security guard knew me well by the end of it, and did not question my choice to bring my sleeping bag, shower gel and toothpaste into uni (I think he knew better not to ask really, as I started to look / behave like a madwoman, I like to think it’s because I created a pal- but probs not).

Another thing is I worked Glastonbury festival for heaven’s sake, it was mental! (So was the smell- but lets not go there…). Like seriously, not many people get to do that- guiding people who are tripping out to the nearest cesspit- or as they put it ‘toilet’- just a little note dear readers, these toilets are harder to judge than you may think, and resulted in weeing on myself on the first day. So take your time, and aim. In addition I got to access backstage areas, saw some of my favourite artists- and even managed to take a shower the temperature of the artic- yes my pals, staff have showers MWAHAHAHA. While, yes, my tent did rip on the second day, as did my roll-mat and there was a thunderstorm resulting in everything being damp for the whole 10 days, it did allow me to make friends with the hot lads across from us who did help to make light of my er, situation – silver lining I suppose? I mean, hell, I’ve even had work on a feature film this year! I can’t say much about it until it comes out, but when it does, you lot will be the first to hear about it!

 And these are just the ones that come to mind!

So back to my point, while yes, things may be a bit shit at the moment- I have had a pretty decent year. I mean it’s not ideal that I’m back in with M&D, and I may revert back to the adolescent “your ruining my life” line once in a while – but really, they’re pretty awesome.

But this is the thing.

We all focus on the negative stuff in our lives (don’t worry I’m not going to get all preachy on you), and it’s difficult to remember the good stuff.

However I saw something on Buzzfeed the other day (friggin love Buzzfeed), which I am going to try, and I urge you lot to do too.                  

It’s basically a jar, with a slot at the top, and when something good happens you write it down and pop it into the jar- at the end of the year you open the jar, and it gives you a chance to remember the good bits. So if like me, at the end of the year you generally look back and think… ahhh bollocks, maybe this will help.

 

I’ll let you know at the end of 2015.

But for now, thank you for reading, and have an amazing 2015.