What I've been watching #7

I feel like I've majorly been losing my blogging momentum, so this post is rather overdue, but this time we have a mix of animated films, comedy and a 90s classic . . .

SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE (2015)
★★★★★
Shaun the Sheep is tired of the same mundane routine he has to go through everyday and he wants to take a day off, so Shaun and the other sheep form a plan to send the farmer to sleep so he can do this, but things go wrong and the farmer ends up in the big city with memory loss, so Shaun goes into the big city to save him but the other sheep follow him, and they have to try to get the farmer back whilst steering clear of the animal container.

I loved this film. I feel it's important to mention that Shaun the Sheep is a big deal in my house, my Mum and my brother love it and so we've ended up watching a lot of it and a lot of its spin-off Timmy Time (we have the whole Timmy Time box set and most of the Shaun the Sheep series on DVD, it's pretty deep) but we didn't get round to watching the film in the cinema, but then my brother got it for his birthday (his 15th birthday, I feel I should add) and we decided to watch it at long last. If  you don't like Shaun the Sheep, you probably won't like this film, but I don't think I've come across a person who doesn't enjoy Shaun the Sheep. It's a lot of fun but there's the odd innuendo in there, and there was even a reference to Doge!! I'm being serious, there was comic sans and Doge references in one part of the film which made my lil heart beam with joy (I'm not sure if that's a thing, but if it is that's what it did). Even my Dad liked it and he's not so big on animated films, there were several laugh out loud moments and it's just a lot of fun - to summarise: it was very good.

PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997)
★★★★
Princess Mononoke is the story of a prince of a disappearing tribe called Ashitaka who's cursed by a boar, so he has to go travelling to the West to try and find a cure, in this world there is an ongoing conflict between the animal kingdom and the human race. He meets someone called San along the way who is a young woman (who grew up with wolves so she denies her own humanity) trying to protect the forest and the animals, and he also meets someone called Lady Eboshi who's trying to destroy the forest and the animals, and Ashitaka aims to resolve this conflict.

I've wanted to watch this film for quite a while given that I'm a massive Studio Ghibli film and this is one of their most popular films. It was definitely enjoyable and I thought San was a good character. Unfortunately, I watched the English dub of this because I recorded a bunch of the Studio Ghibli films during Ghibli season on e4 ages ago but they show the English dub 99% of the time. Don't get me wrong, this was a good dub (nowhere near as bad as the dub for Arrietty or Spirited Away, don't get me started on them) but I do just feel like English dubs ruin Japanese films. Probably not one of my favourite Ghibli films but it was enjoyable and I think it's one that would down well with a lot of people, and it's probably not as much as insane as Spirited Away (I love Spirited Away for its insanity but I know a lot of people just don't get it)

WHITE TEETH (2002)
★★★★
White Teeth is about different families growing up in England spanning from the 70s to the 90s, it focuses on different sectors of society in terms of race and religion. For example, you have Clara who's Jamaican and her Mother is a Jehovah's Witness, Archie and Samad were both in the army during World War II so they're old friends but Archie is British whereas Samad is a Bengalian Muslim, and these families all interlink and the story follows their children.

I quite liked the first few parts of this four parter, this was actually a series but Letterboxd counts it as a film on there hence why I'm including it, plus I did really enjoy it so I wanted to talk about it anyway. The first two parts were really good, I liked how they focused on Clara, Archie and Samad. I feel like when it became more focused on the children, it got a little bit mad and rushed. I liked the characterisation of the children, I liked Irie (purely because she reminded me of myself at times) and Millat was a good character although perhaps not a particularly nice one (I felt bad because he was really attractive but definitely not the type of guy I'd want to be with), and there's also a young James McAvoy in the children's episodes (very nice indeed). Also, in the first episode there's a young Russell Brand which is one of the reasons I wanted to watch this. This to me was a bit like Small Island meets Anita and Me, although I feel like Small Island covered each individual character story better whereas this one did rush it towards the end. I still really liked it though and I have recommended it to a bunch of my friends.

KICK-ASS (2010)
★★★★
Kick-Ass is the story of a stereotypical high school comic book nerd who wonders what would happen if a regular guy tried to become a superhero. He buys a costume and names himself Kick-Ass, but then he comes into contact with crime fighting duo Big Daddy and Hit Girl, and he gets involved with their dramas.

I really liked this film, it sort of made fun of the whole cliche superhero film (don't get me wrong, I love those but this made fun of the super unrealistic aspects of it and the cringey catchphrases). A favourite quote of mine from the film was 'with no power comes no responsibility'. I quite liked Aaron Johnson in this, partly because I used to have a major crush on him (okay, I still do, especially when I watch Nowhere Boy - Aaron Johnson playing John Lennon is a massive yes in my books). Something I simultaneously hated and loved was Nicholas Cage playing Big Daddy, as someone who's been on the internet for a long time I remember the Nicholas Cage meme and the second I saw him come on screen I literally started screaming (leaving my family in a bit of confusion) and the fact that he referred to himself as Big Daddy the whole time just made it worse. The acting in this film wasn't moving or epic or anything, and I'm not sure if that's because the actors were mediocre or if the people making the film made sure they acted that way to capture some of the mediocre, stereotypical acting you get in superhero films - either way, I quite liked it and I felt in mocked superhero films without being offensive necessarily. Something I need to point out - there is a fair bit of swearing and a hell of a lot of blood and violence and all that jazz, something I really wasn't expecting. That sort of thing doesn't bother me but I know it would bother a lot of people, it's sort of on the Sweeney Todd level of blood and violence so y'know beware. Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I can imagine it being one I return to again.

SPICE WORLD (1997)
★★★
Spice World is a mockumentary about the Spice Girls who are enjoying fame but becoming dissatisfied with the burdens of it. Meanwhile, newspaper owner Kevin McMaxford is trying to ruin their career to get a good story. The film follows the Spice Girls and the filming of their documentary.

First of, I know I'm nearly 20 years too late for this film - in all fairness, the Spice Girls were a bit before my time given that they formed in the year I was born and whilst I love them, I never thought to watch this film until I found the full film on YouTube (I'm so darn thrifty). This was basically an updated version of The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night which I love so I really enjoyed that, I do think A Hard Day's Night is better like I think the Spice Girls were a little bit unnatural on camera at times but it was a lot of fun and it has a great soundtrack, so it's a bit of fun but unless you like the Spice Girls I don't think you'd like this.

What films have you watched recently?

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What I've been watching #6

It feels like it's been a while since I've done one of these posts, I've not really been watching a lot of films recently (except for the weekly family movie choices) because I've majorly been focusing on TV shows - recently finished Attack on Titan (which was amazing I can't even begin to explain) and I'm on series 3 of Orange is the New Black (finally) so films have taken somewhat of a back seat, but here I have a few of the films I've been watching recently!

THE GOOD FATHER (1985)
★★★
The Good Father is a film about a man called Bill Hooper who has just come out of a divorce and lost the custody of his son, he then meets someone called Roger in a similar situation so Bill decides to take up Roger's cause as his own and agrees to pay all the legal fees. However, Bill tries to reconnect with his ex-wife and begins to regret what he and Roger have done.

When I read the synopsis of this film on the back of the DVD I didn't think I would like it as it just seemed like an anti-feminist film, and I wasn't sure whether it was going to be anti-feminist in a funny way (y'know like those meninist parody accounts on Twitter) but the whole film was basically making a mockery of misandry, which is what a lot of anti-feminists interpret feminism to be, so it didn't bug me too much. The film was interesting although I think it definitely showed its age. This was actually Stephen Fry's first film appearance which I thought was pretty cool because I love Stephen Fry and I don't think I'd ever seen him so young, I don't think this film was a must-see film or anything but it wasn't too long and it had interesting moments in it.

CHICAGO (2002)
★★★★
Chicago is about women who have killed people but the focus is on Roxie Hart who dreams of being famous, and she cheats on her husband in order to try and get into the whole famous lifestyle, but she's deceived and long story short she kills someone. In prison, she meets Velma Kelly, who she previously looked up to, and Velma shows an immediate dislike to Roxie. Velma used to make all the headlines before Roxie comes along and steals the spotlight, then they find each other fighting for the attention of the press as well as the attention of their shared lawyer.

I actually watched this film over a couple of days because I started watching it with my friends when I was holidaying in Lytham but we didn't finish it so I decided to finish it at home. I wanted to watch this for ages because I knew the songs in it and I love musicals so so much, and this didn't disappoint. I quite liked how the film was a bit girl-power (in an albeit twisted way) and the story was entertaining with a lot of good songs - definitely worth a watch if you like musicals, imagine Spice Girls meets . . murder (probably not the best way to suggest a film but hey)

THE CAT RETURNS (2002)
★★★
The Cat Returns is about a high school student called Haru and she one day saves a cat from being run over. The cat turns out to be a prince called Lune, and as a thank you Lune's Father asks Haru to marry Lune. Haru is then taken to the cat kingdom and she starts to develop cat-like features, she's also then prevented from leaving. So, the Baron and Toto, who are statues who have been given life, help her to regain her freedom.

I watched this because I love a good Ghibli film and I recorded a bunch of them when Ghibli season was on e4 (although I was revising for exams so I'm only just being able to watch them now) and I had seen a snippet of this when it was on before. It was a bit of fun, I did like it and I would watch it again but I didn't think it was a particularly outstanding movie, it was just a bit of film fluff if you will. Storyline wise it was quite weak in comparison to other Ghibli films like Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, but it was enjoyable and I did get a few laughs out of this. Plus it was quite short, so if you want a laugh then this is pretty decent but it felt a bit kiddy for me. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, kids need films too, it's unfair for me to criticise this for being appropriate for an audience I don't fit into anymore. So essentially, this is a funny children's film, not a must-see film, but definitely not a bad film.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS (1954)
★★★★
An Inspector Calls starts off with the Birling family sitting down to a meal and they celebrate the engagement of the daughter, Sheila, to Gerald Croft. Then, they are interrupted by an Inspector who informs them that a girl called Eva Smith is suspected to have committed suicide, and they may have more to do with it than they initially think.

I studied An Inspector Calls for my English GCSE a couple of years ago (got an A in it too) and I did watch a different version of the film at the time, but I revisited it because my brother, who is currently studying for his GCSEs, chose it for his movie choice and I hadn't seen this version of the film so I was interested to see how they did it. I think the story is really great and having studied it for English made it more interesting just because I could still remember the analytical points and I think in general it's a very good play. I have to say I didn't think this version of the film was great in the respects that it wasn't the best interpretation of the play, they changed the Inspector's name from Goole to Poole which, while it's only a small change, eradicates one of the deeper points on it about how the Inspector may or may not exist (y'know like Goole as in ghoul like ghosty stuff). Plus, the way they addressed the flashbacks I thought wasn't the best approach because in the play you don't really know Eva Smith or how she really acted, what we know is what the Inspector and the other characters tell us, and I felt like the way they did the flashbacks didn't include that somewhat biased telling of the story which is necessary for the way the story is told. However, comparisons to the play aside, as a stand alone film, it was pretty good. Quite fast moving and still leaves you in confusion at the end. The only thing that really upset me that they missed out was the Inspector's final speech near the end of the play which essentially focused on our responsibility to each other and communal values and all that jazz, which is the heart of the play so by missing that out you're misunderstanding what An Inspector Calls is about. Again, with a book-to-film situation you have to judge the film as a single piece of work, but I just feel like missing that out was a poor decision. Overall, pretty good, but the BBC adaptation is much closer to the book and if you're studying I'd definitely recommend that one (and you can find the full version on YouTube here)

A VERY BRITISH COUP (1988)
★★★★
A Very British Coup is the story of a trade unionist and steelworker from Sheffield called Harry Perkins who becomes leader of the Labour Party and then Prime Minister at the end of the 1980s. However, the right-wing establishment and American allies plot Perkins' downfall from the day he gets into power. The film shows how politics gets dirty, and where Perkins can stick to his socialist roots and what can come of that.

My Mum chose this for her movie choice (although it's more of a mini-series, it comes up on Letterboxd as a film so I'm assuming it's a TV movie situation - anyone who was around at the time, perhaps you can fill me in?) because in the Oates household, we've been talking about Jeremy Corbyn a lot, y'know the socialist who's running for Labour leader. In fact, we've all joined the Labour party (well I'm still in the process of doing it because I procrastinate) in order to vote for him, but Mum told us that Harry Perkins was essentially Jeremy Corbyn. Although the film leaves you thinking that a socialist leader wouldn't work for Prime Minister (and I remain hopeful that Corbyn would be an amazing Prime Minister), I thought it was a really entertaining watch. It's quite anti-establishment because it shows how the people from the inside will do what they can to stop a left-wing government succeeding, definitely worth a watch!

What films have you watched recently?

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Book review - Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

One of my all-time favourite films (you can verify this by looking at my profile on Letterboxd) is Howl's Moving Castle, I like the storyline, the characters, and oh my gosh do not get me started on the music. However, I only found out it was adapted from a book about a year ago - judge me, seriously. I remember seeing a review of it pop up on my Blogger dashboard and immediately thinking 'I need to get my hands on this book'. It took a while but my parents gifted me the set for my birthday and I decided to start reading them in 2015 as I have to read 50 books this year for my reading challenge and I needed to save up books (no one said my logic was sound) so it took me a while to get started on this, but I can already tell you - this is gonna be a positive review.

Synopsis:

In the land of Ingary, where seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, Sophie Hatter attracts the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste, who puts a curse on her. Determined to make the best of things, Sophie travels to the one place where she might get help - the moving castle which hovers on the nearby hills.

But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the hearts of young girls...

My thoughts:

I have to say that when going into this, I really assumed it was going to be a disappointment in comparison to the film because it's so bizarre that I had no idea how it could be put into words, but Diana Wynne Jones some how did it. It was pretty close to the film and in fact I think it has made the film experience better for me because there were some parts in the film that weren't explained too well, this is why you should always read the book first. I absolutely loved Calcifer just as much as I did in the film, and I adore Sophie as a character as well (I did a quiz to see what Ghibli character I am, and apparently I'm her so maybe that's why). I thought the storyline wasn't an epic thing that had me hanging on the edge for more (although I found it hard to put this book down), although it was really enjoyable and easy to get sucked into the world of magic (seriously I think I should just leave school and go to Hogwarts or just become a wizard or something, it's clearly destiny). I also loved the chapter names because they were written like Friends episode titles, for example Chapter One - In which Sophie talks to hats. If you changed 'in which' to 'the one where' you'd automatically have a story about magic set in a coffee shop with a bunch of 20-somethings. I also really liked the illustrations, although I still prefer the Ghibli interpretations of the characters' appearances.

Overall rating:

I gave this book a 4/5 on Goodreads, I did really enjoy it. It was well written, intriguing, and had some really great characters - I always found myself chuckling and smirking when I was reading this which probably made me look even more peculiar than I already am (I'm pretty certain people on the bus thought I was rather strange). I am really looking forward to reading the sequels!!

Have you read or seen Howl's Moving Castle?

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Ten things and ten blogs #1

After seeing a few of these types of posts floating around the bloggersphere, I thought I'd try my hand at it to add a bit more lifestyle and general rambling into fashion, beauty and an existential crisis. I'm thinking of doing these bi-monthly, because I don't do enough in a week to talk about but over the space of a month I've usually done a fair bit so bi-monthly is the way forward dudes.

one.
I learned that some people will never change and will never see the need to change, and with toxic people like that, it's most beneficial just to cut them off.

two.
Plato may be one of the world's most famous philosophers, but The Republic is one of the most hellish books a person could ever study for A level.

three.
I'll never be able to let go of my adoration for My Chemical Romance, and after having a long listen to them on Spotify, I realised that I'll never be over the fact that they've broken up (The Black Parade still hits a nerve in me, right from the intro, the emo inside never dies)

four.
My mock exams went a lot better than I initially thought they would, especially Philosophy - what can I say? Artificial intelligence and the state as an oppressor is just my thing.

five.
I went to see Alt-J at the O2 in Greenwich and it was ahmayzing. The opening acts were Gengahr and Wolf Alice, and they were both top notch too - I've been looking forward to this for so long now, and now I have nothing to look forward too, boo.

Ah a crappy iPhone photo, now that's a real throwback right?

six.
Binge watching the first generation of skins in under a week was not a good idea, you think you're over these characters and storylines after watching it several times but rewatching is like pouring salt on open wounds.

seven.
I found out I have roughly six more weeks until my grade 8 piano exam, which is emotional because that means I'll never see my piano teacher again who I've had for nearly ten years (crazy!) She's a quirky lady and I will miss her, she's like family.

eight.
My birthday was in November as you may have seen if you saw my Birthday haul post but one of my presents from my friend only just came because she ordered it from Japan, and it's one of the best presents I've ever received - I absolutely love Studio Ghibli and My Neighbour Totoro so receiving this book was really lovely!

Try to spot the Doctor Who badges (forever fangirlin', even in blog photos)

nine.
Life can get dark, really dark, and other people may misunderstand and belittle your feelings, but your feelings are valid - try not to forget that.

ten.
Whilst I've realised recently that some people who claim to be your friends are actually massive arse wipes, I do have some pretty cool friends. On Friday, I went to see a friend with one of my other friends and we had a massive catch up and it was just generally really lovely, and on 31st January, it was my friend's birthday and we were doing a treasure hunt around London, this company sent the clues via text message but unfortunately we didn't finish it - it was cold, and we wanted pizza from pizza hut so y'know, but overall it was a top notch day.

blogs.
Throw me something beautiful
Qworterlifecrisis
Kayla Hadlington
Sweet electric
All that shimmers
Milk bubble tea
Merry musing
Yingcbeauty
Deaddsouls
Francesca beauty

What's been the best thing you've done over the past couple of weeks?

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