2015 So far!

2015

It has been a while since I have last written a blog post, but I have not been feeling to inspired or creative lately, but I thought I would write a post, which has no real central topic but just something I thought people may enjoy reading.

First of all, I cannot believe how fast this year is going already. It’s going so quickly. But saying that, a lot has happened in the past two months and I have a feeling that this year is going to be  a good year.

One of my main focuses this year is to make myself do things I wouldn’t do normally and make myself become more adventurous and social. Unfortunately for me this means I have to cross the subject of saving money, which is not my strongest point. When I’m out there is something that comes across me that makes me think ‘Oh well, it’ll be payday soon’ which ultimately leads me to living on bare minimum for a while and not being able to go out with friends! But this year I am determined to do more exciting things and visit more places. For example, it is my birthday this month and myself and my best friend have got plans to go to London, see a show and have a drunken weekend away, something of which I cannot wait for. So this year will be the year I do things because I want to do them and learn a lot more about myself and really push myself!

            On a similar topic, one of the things I am determined to do, is become more confident. If you come across me in real life, I am quite a quite person and I will keep myself to myself as much as possible until I feel comfortable with you. Unfortunately this means that sometimes I miss out on the opportunities to make new friendships and possibilities. I have always feared being seen as an obnoxious person, so I made myself quite a refrained person, but I just want the confidence to know that what I am doing is ok and not everybody I meet will think badly of me. I would also like to incorporate this into my career as I feel that if I become more confident in my job then I have a better chance of progressing and being seen upon as a more reliable and approachable member of staff.

            So far through 2015 I have been trying my best to eat better and take care of myself as much as I can, and I feel that I am doing ok, but could be doing more. I have weighed the same for the past year and when seeing people for the first time in a while the first thing they comment on is how much weight I have lost. Although I am very grateful of this and appreciate them saying it, I just don’t feel that I do look any different and would still like to be a little be slender. Although I am not going to start making promises to myself to go to the gym (never going to happen!) I will try to start eating healthier and cutting down on how much I drink and the amount of snacks I eat. As you may or may not know, I work in a cinema, which can get very busy so I am always active and doing something at work which is great, but when at home, I am possibly one of the laziest people you will ever come across. I could quite happily be in my bedroom with my laptop and snacks all not and not move and be ok with it. But I feel that I should start maybe going for walk or some simple exercises that I can do at home, which will not cost me and I will feel comfortable with.

I realise that this post has been a bit of a ramble but personally I find posts like these interesting to read. If you did enjoy it let me know and I will do some more like this. I will be posting more soon!

Girl,Interrupted

Hello there! I apologise that it has been a while since my last blog post but I have been pretty busy with work lately and I haven't been too well so I have been in and out of the doctors, anyway that is not what this post is about.

I recently decided that I did not want this blog to be made up of reviews, however this post is made up of both a review and general thoughts, and what I am going to talk about in this post is...

Girl, Interrupted.

I briefly mentioned this film in my last post, but I did not go into much detail regarding it. I first watch Girl, Interrupted when I was 14 and I was going through a pretty rough time in my life. Ever since watching it the first time alone in my bedroom, it has struck a chord with me and has remained my favourite film till this day. There are many reasons that contribute to this and I want to share some of those with you. 

I'll give you a brief synopsis for some of those who may not know anything about the film. Girl, Interrupted is a film based upon the diary of Susana Kaysen - a real person who ended up being sectioned to a institution in the 60's and follows her journey from her being admitted into the institution Claymore's till the day she was discharged. It also tells the story about the people she meets whilst at Claymore's and the way in which the people she meets effects her recovery. 

It is no secret that I am a HUGE admirer of Angelina Jolie, but her portrayal of Lisa Rowe - a sociopath is impeccable. The way she can portray such a twisted and manipulative character yet bringing through a vulnerable and human side which people do not find within Lisa amazes and enchants me every time.  The way that Angelina is presented in this film astonishes me every time as you would not believe it was her and that she could look so different, but the fact that she managed to pull it off and still look so right for the role is possibly one of the best things about the film. Although Lisa is quite a serious and at times threatening character, she brings the film a element of humour and light heartedness at times. For example: 

Lisa: Take one more fucking step and I'll jam this in my aorta! GO AHEAD!

Nurse Valerie: Lisa...Your aorta is in your chest.

Lisa: Good to know! I'll make a note of that one.

It's a small scene but is just something that makes you laugh and takes some of the tension and morbidness from the film. At this point in the film she is also covering for Susana who is in her room with her boyfriend who is visiting - and at this point you begin to see the development of their relationship and begin to see that Lisa is capable of caring for somebody at times. 

What is interesting about the film, is the main character, Susana Kaysen (portrayed by Winnona Ryder) the polar opposite of Lisa, who is not seen to have any signs of real mental health issues, she is seen as a very confused young woman who is depressed - but she does not see it this way. One of my favourite lines is right at the beginning of the film where she is sat in a therapists office and he says :

Susana: I didn't try to kill myself 

Dr Potts: What were you trying to do?

Susana: I was trying to make the shit stop

This line has always stayed in my mind, just because I think she was trying to hide her fear and vulnerability. I believe it is such a crucial part of the film and the story and you begin to feel more sympathy towards the character. 

There is a scene where Lisa and Susana go to daisy's house and Lisa becomes very serious and pushes Daisy to the edge. For me this is a very hard scene to watch as she talks about something so serious and something which has effected so many people, including Angelina herself. The line which is the strongest of the scene is where Lisa says: 

Lisa: Tell me that you don't take that blade, and drag it across your skin, and pray for the courage to press down. 

I have known many people who have gone through depression and self harm and I find this a very hard and emotional scene to watch just because it touches a nerve with me, but yet is a crucial part to the scene,and Lisa's character. We begin to see what she is capable of what and that she doesn't have the conscious that people would have towards people that are suffering with depression or any other form of mental health issues. 

The last couple of scenes are very dark and serious, you begin to see Lisa's strong points and her low points. The last scene is heartbreaking as you see the true Lisa as she breaks down to Susana and confesses how she really feels and the line that always gets me is when she quietly and weakly says:

Lisa: I'm not really dead

At this point in the film, all we want is for somebody to take time for lisa and you finally see the character in a whole new light.

As I mentioned, I did not want this post to be predominately a review, but I feel that in someways a insight into somebody else's perspective about something can make somebody want to watch something or not, although I hope this post will make you want to watch the film so you can also enjoy it and see why it means so much to me. 

It's always been a favourite of mine and I think it's because when I first watched this film I was in such a dark and horrible part of my life and It just made me see that things can change - although my circumstances were not far as dramatic as those in the film, but it was just so interesting to see how mental health was dealt with and treated years ago. In addition to this, I honestly believe that this film is what sparked my interest in Asylums and mental health. As I mentioned in my first blog post, I was addicted to American Horror Story Asylum and I am constantly searching for films in this field.  

(P.s Girl, Interrupted is available on netflix!) 

Although this post is a little bit different to what I have posted before, I hope you enjoy it and I may begin to write more things like this, if it goes down well! 

Thank you for taking the time to read! 

July Favorites

I apologise that it's been a while since my last post, but I've recently started my new job and I have been doing a lot of late nights! But here it is finally my second blog post!

July Favorites

Favorites is something that I have frequently seen youtubers and bloggers posting, and I thought that doing a post like this would be a different way to let you know what I have personally been enjoying this month. So without further rambling here is what I have been enjoying this month!

Orange Is The New Black

I recently found out about Orange Is The New Black, I saw quite a few GIFS on tumblr and was told about it by my brother who loved the series, so I finally gave in and decided to give it a go.

            Watching this series was one of the best choices I had made in a long time. Every moment enjoyable, emotional and unpredictable. The storyline was somewhat confusing at first but as I carried on watching the series (continuously back to back) it began to make sense, but I feel that this is what enhances the experience when watching the Netflix series.

            The series was based upon the book by Piper Kerman : Orange Is The New Black, My Year In A Women’s Prison, and I must say that Jenji Kohan did a superb job of bringing the memoir to our screens in a memorable and delightful way.

Although the writing within the series is incredible I feel that the acting and the characters within the series make the overall viewing experience. I feel that one character that struck a chord with everyone, was the character of Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren when we first come across the character she is trying to intise Piper to sit with her, and this is where we are informally introduced to the character as Morello whisks Piper away and warns her not to sit with Crazy Eyes. At the beginning of the series due to this we feel that she is potentially dangerous and feared within the prison. But as the series progress’ we begin to warm to Crazy Eyes, as we see that she is actually quite an emotional character and the things that happen in prison really do affect her on some level. In addition to this, Crazy Eyes brings a level of humor and joy to the series as some of the scenes that she is in and the lines that she delivers reduce the audience to tears of laughter. Some of the famous lines that people constantly quote and I see myself on social networking sites are quotes such as: ‘I threw my pie for you’, ‘Chocolate and Vanilla swirl’ and ‘I am not crazy, I am unique’.

 

 Although we do come across some more dark and sinister characters, such as Pornstache, and Vee. Characters that we don’t know if we can trust and enjoy watching them, due to the way they treat others and the way that they speak to other characters. I think a prime example of a character like this would be Alex, at the beginning of the series she comes across as a confident and unconcerned character, yet as the series progress’ then we begin to find that she is a character than we not only dislike but also don’t trust. I found that the writes constantly had us on edge wondering if we could trust her or if she’s not what she seems to be.

Overall, I think that the writers of Orange Is The New Black have done an amazing job of bringing the novel to life and created a incredibly addictive and suspenseful series, and I know that every viewer can not wait for season 3 to come to Netflix next year!

Kreayshawn

I found out about Kreayshawn about 3 years ago and the first song I discovered was Gucci Gucci, perhaps one of her most well known songs. Saying this, I downloaded her album a couple of weeks ago again, and completely fell in love with her all over again.

The female rapper, although not widely known, has done amazingly well for herself and has delivered music which people had heard nothing like. Until watching ‘The Heat’ I didn’t realize that she was part of the soundtrack and when it came to shazzaming the song only to find it was Left Ey3 ! I immediately went and downloaded the album and from this she became one of my favorite artists in just a few songs.

            Although the topics she raps about not unusual in the genre, something stands out about it. Possibly because she is a woman, but maybe because of the casual manner that she approaches the subject. A lot of the songs that she has delivered to us contain some reference to weed, such as in Summertime, ‘Can we go to Hawaii, so you can roll my blunts when I get too high?’ and the song BFF ‘Ride around and smoke a couple doobies’ .  I think the way she uses the subject of drugs is quite clever, It brings in a wider audience, as it is no secret that a majority of people we know have/do use drugs.

            Drugs aside,  the tone of Kreayshawn’s voice is unique and distinctive, and I think that this is part of the reason that she is so successful, the fact that people haven’t heard anything like her before.

Although it has been a while since we have heard any new music from Kreayshawn there are rumors of new music coming to us soon! So hopefully within the next couple of months I will have new music to write about for you!!!

Angelina Jolie

If you are a personal friend of mine, you will know it is no secret that I am a huge fan of Angelina Jolie. What is it about the global sensation? EVERYTHING. Everythig about Angelina Jolie that I have read, watched, listened to has just pulled me in and made me fall in love with her just that tiny bit more.

            It is no secret that Angelina is stunningly beautiful and was named the number 1 sexiest woman alive. But to me, that’s not what draws me to her. I feel that there is so much more to her that people are not aware of.

Obviously we all know of her charity work and adoption of children and all of the amazing things she takes time out of her life to change other lives, but to me the thing that makes Angelina Jolie so remarkable is her past and her passion, and I think this occurred when watching the actress at Inside The Actors Studio. She was so open, honest and so grateful about everything that she had experienced.

One of the weird things that she mentioned and I find insanely fascinating, is the fact that when she was younger, while having sex with her boyfriend she felt that sex wasn’t enough and that it wasn’t honest enough, so she leant across, picked up a knife and cut him. Which he did in return and it ended up in a big bloody mess, but she felt that it was more intense and honest.

During the interview when it came to the subject of addiction, Jolie became a bit more reluctant to speak but teased the audience instead, by just commenting ‘I know addiction In all forms’ and when being asked what she meant, Jolie just happily replied ‘all forms’. Although she is a hugely known celebrity, people forget that she is a person and that she has a past and that is her past. Not everybody needs to know what happened in her past.

This post wouldn’t be complete if I did come onto the subject of her marvelous acting skills. I think that the first film I came across starring Angelina Jolie was Girl, Interrupted. An amazing film, which I first started watching at the age of 15. Since watching the incredible film I have loved her acting skills and her style and continue to find more films with her inevitable talent. The way she can bring anything to life and make whatever she is portraying convincing and believable. Even in the most recent of Jolie’s movies, Malificent, I watched this film with not many expectations, but came out amazed and wanting to watch it again straight away. The film perfectly fits Jolie’s style and re-enforced why I loved Angelina Jolie and why I can’t wait for the next film in which she will dazzle audiences everywhere. 

American Horror Story

 

American Horror Story

American Horror Story has been a huge hit worldwide. Well known for it’s twisted storylines and memorable characters. Season four Freak Show is soon to be released and with the leaked images we are sure to be in for some twisted and unforgettable characters.

            The writers of American Horror Story have delivered to us three incredible series (Murder House, Asylum & Coven).  Whilst watching the series I got seriously addicted and went through Asylum & Coven within four days. Although I felt that all three series were incredible, something about Asylum especially stood out to me.

 The twist in Lana’s story was something I found insanely addictive and enjoyable. The representation of someone who leads an everyday life with no hint of mental health issues and then being detained in Briarcliff Mental Institution just after a short of amount of time we begin to see the deterioration of her mental health. In addition to this the unexpected twist after her successful escape, only to end up back in the institution was an exceptional turn of events.

Although the series is known for it’s dark style and gory moments, the series does include some laughs and makes it somewhat more enjoyable to watch and giving the audience some relief to an extent. A prime example of this would be from Asylum, the well known scene of the name game, where sister Jude who at the beginning of the series, a serious and well respected character who as the series goes on we find that she becomes a patient herself, this scene brings a sense of joy and amusement.

            

In addition to this, I feel that the character of Queenie in Coven brought the series a lighter and more amusing feel compared to Murder House and Asylum, some of the lines that are delivered are brilliantly written and not only that, makes the character more relatable and feel like somebody you may know. 

There is something quite spectacular about American Horror Story, and the way that people have reacted to it, and the build up to series four is something that has everybody talking!! October 15^th 2014 will be one of the best nights in television and I’m sure that social media will explode with talk about it.

                                                       Sarah Paulson as Dot & Bette for Freak Show