Total Satisfaction Always Guaranteed - 18+ rating =)

So, am not going to lie, most people know that I have written and read some erotic novels before... Normally my writing were just short stories using the characters of Gio and Betty from hit US show Ugly Betty. These can be found here: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1724267/ If you fancy a read of anything of mine it is on there. All fanfictions but it is a start to my writing.

Anyway, now that I've finished showing off my writing, I was planning on doing a review of the book Entice Me At Twilight by Shayla Black. I got a book voucher for Christmas which still had money on it and this one seemed interesting as it was in the Dark Fantasy bit of the shop with all the other vampire/wizard/witch books. Although I knew there would be something dark to it, I got a bit of a shock when it started to get hot and steamy.

I loved the characters from the get-go. The idea of a group of wizards known as the Doomsday Brethren all fighting for their mates, etc. made me not able to put it down. I'm sure the book would sell without the sex scenes.

The book itself is really difficult to put down. I was hooked the entire way through and read it all in day and was very disappointed to find out the next one isn't due out until next year. The relationship between Felicia and Simon is intense and filled with emotional highs and lows. Their journey to be together is not an easy one but it makes the ending worth the torture. There is a good amount of action while they were running from Mathias and then navigating Morganna's tomb. This is a paranormal romance series so the love story does tend to take up a large part of the book but it doesn't take it over.

Anyway, that is all for now. I want to get writing again, but have lost the first novella I wrote a few years back because I never make hard copies, but I must learn and move on. You never know, you may even get a sneak peak.

"Here's looking at you, kid." - BAFTA

So the joyous event of the BAFTA's was last night and boy, was it amazing! (I swear I will be on that red carpet in 5 years or so) From the outset you could tell it was going to be an amazing night by seeing all the celebrities, directors, editors, etc. walking down the red carpet. Even with the glum London weather, everyone looks stunning.

(the stunning Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton (both are my idols) on the red carpet looking slightly like they have been electrocuted by the hair0

(Hailee Steinfeld looking a lot older than 14 in a gorgeous dress.)

Now, throughout the ceremony some of the speech's were very amusing and many jokes were created about the fact that no one was going to win anything but those from The King's Speech. I think one of the best speech's of the night was given by Helena Bonham Carter when she received her award fro best supporting actress. Although I have been known not to be her biggest fan, I have slowly come round to her and now she is one of my biggest idols. Her speech had me in fits of giggles: "I'm so used to losing that it's kind of a strange feeling to win. It's very nice, but children, if you're watching, it's not about the winning. It still feels nice. I'm thrilled to be in the same category as my fellow nominees, and I'm not just sucking up. And my skirt's just gotten hitched up at the back, not a good time. I'd like to thank the Royal family, since they seem to be very good for my career...." Although, I loved her speech, boy can she go on a bit (almost rambles as much as me in my blogs.

After seeing True Grit on Friday I thought it would get a lot more awards than it did because it truly was an amazing film. 

Oh and before I forget, the make-up award couldn't have gone to anyone better. Alice In Wonderland totally deserved that award. 

So everyone watch out. Maybe in a few years instead of blogging about the BAFTA's you might be seeing me up there among the stars... Hey, a girl can dream....

"Genre labels are Useful Only in So Far as They Help You Find an Audience"

This week at Uni we are having to study Rick Altman's essay of  'Why Are Genres Sometimes Mixed?" alongside Some Like It Hot. Now, I'm going to be honest, last term I did not do the readings and kind of winged it for the whole semester, but this is a new semester so therefore I thought I would be good and start again (Plus the fact that I had to pay £5.50 for the course reader so might as well read the damn thing)

(Marilyn Monroe, in the Billy Wilder classic Some Like It Hot pictured in soft focus, 

to try and highlight her gentle, feministic image)

Anyway, (gone off topic a bit) I got a bit of a shock when I read the article for my lesson as it was actually rather fascinating. When people speak about films, they normally classify the film within the first sentence describing a film (critics especially) stating that a film is a romantic, a comedy, a western, etc... but how is it that people manage to define what genre it is that the film is? 

Well, the best way to describe this is there is a menu of genre's that were made which split the genre's up into different sections which were who would be viewing them and the menu consisted of 12 different genres. The Menu went something like this:

Male Genres

Action adventure

Gangster film

War film

Western

Female Genres

Drama

Musical

Romantic Comedy

Weepie (yes an actual term used)

Tertium Quid

Fantasy

Historical/Costume

Slapstick Comedy

Travel Adventure

If you ask me this is complete nonsense and very stereotypical and Tertium Quid looks like it is all the genres that couldn't be placed and therefore shoved into a different category. This wasn't justifiable either as fair enough it took into consideration males and females but didn't take into consideration age, race, etc... 

However, the bit I found most intriguing is now coming up. Hollywood (as in Classical and not necessarily what we think of nowadays) made a cocktail of genres and started mixing them and Some Like It Hot is a perfect example of that as it has a bit of Gangster, a lot of Comedy and Romance as well. I have to admit it is one of my favourite films of all time!

"The Claw is Our Master"

As most of you know already, I am a bit of a nerd and one of my fascinations is Disney films. Ever since I was little I have adored the films. The first film I remember seeing at the cinema was Pocahontas with my Grandma, Great Auntie and Great Granny and the actual first film I remember seeing on VHS (yes VHS not dvd or blu-ray) was Mickey Mouse version of the Prince and the Pauper.

Well, today I am off uni (shock!) and I have nothing to do since we aren't properly into the semester yet so I decided that I would have a Toy Story day!!! I know, how exciting?!? My favourite characters are the aliens. I am smiling just thinking about it. I am such a loser.

Toy Story was the first Disney/Pixar film to be made, as well as the first feature film to be made entirely with CGI.

So, that was a little bit of a personal blog today. So i should probably go back to cooking, watching Toy Story and reading my reports for Film tomorrow.

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!

'Cinema is a Means of Expression as Supple and Subtle as that of Written Language’

I apologise for lack of blogging as of late. Silly exams getting in the way but to celebrate the end of the month, I thought why not. That and the fact I've been nagging my friend Laura with tweets about uploading her blog and felt a bit hypocritical.

So anyway, a new term and a new set of films/book to watch/read and I cannot wait to get thrown into the deep end once more. This week we are studying Some Like It Hot which stars Marilyn Monroe and I am so excited as I love her and love her films. She is such an iconic star and I feel lucky to be able to study her.

(Marilyn Monroe in one of her most famous poses)

I like this blog, even if many people don't read it, as it means I can ramble on and on about anything that crosses my mind and one thing that has been tormenting my thoughts recently is 'What do you want to do when you are finished uni?' Everyone seems to be asking this at the moment and to be honest, I do not know the answer to the question. 

Of course I have the dreams from when I was younger about what I want to do like being the next Hitchcock and Tarantino. If in the future, someone said my name and other knew who I was and at least one film that I had directed I would be in heaven. However, I suppose that I have to have a more realistic goal as this is unlikely to happen. 

So this still leaves me unsure of the future, but hopefully you never know I can get some sort of experience in the business, so if anyone knows someone who works within film, give me a call.

To Pass or Not To Pass? That is the question.

So yesterday I had a moment of panic. My English exam is in 3 days!!! I'm not going to lie, I have done some revision for it but the majority of the revision I have been doing is for film incase you didn't realise with the excessive amount of film blogs that I have posted yesterday. This stupid exam creeped round so quickly and I really don't have a clue how to revise for it!!!

Out of all the Shakespeare plays that we studied in our English course over the past twelve weeks (The Taming of the Shrew, Richards the Third, Henry the Fifth, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Othello, Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus) I reckon I have studied about 3 in great detail and that is it. I spent the other day in a cute little coffee shop in Aberdeen (Kilau to those from Aberdeen) writing up introductions for essays as apparently these are my week points when previously I have handed some in. See, the exam is two essays in two hours (same for film) and to be honest, I'm petrifieed. It's been 3 and a bit years since I last did exams.


Warning: excessive ramblings ahead. 
So, I'll probably start of with The Taming Of The Shrew, just because it is the first one in my bible of Shakespeare and Before I start my ramblings of revision about this play, I would just like to point out that the film 10 Things I hate About You (1999 with Julia Styles and Heath Ledger) was based around this.

(This is the cover from the DVD version of the play we watched, with Elizabeth Taylor in it and she did a very good job of portraying Katherine)

Okay. So, The Taming Of The Shrew is a comedy by Shakespeare and was believed to have been written between 1590 and 1594. The play begins with a framing device, which is referred to as the induction. During this a tinker named Sly is tricked into thinking he is a nobleman by a Lord. The Lord then has a play performed for Sly's amusement, set in Padua.

Basic Summary: The main plot depicts the courtship of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew (pictured by Elizabeth Taylor above). Initially, Katherina is unwilling to participate in the relationship, but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments — the "taming" — until she is an obedient bride. The sub-plot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's more tractable sister, Bianca.

Katherina Minola is the eldest daughter of Baptista Minola, a Lord in Padua. Katherina's temper is notorious and it is thought no man would ever wish to marry her. On the other hand, two men – Hortensio and Gremio – are eager to marry her younger sister Bianca. However, Baptista has sworn not to allow his younger daughter to marry before Katherina is wed, much to the despair of her suitors, who agree that they will work together to marry off Katherina so that they will be free to compete for Bianca.

The plot becomes more complex when Lucentio, who has recently come to Padua to attend the famous university there, sees Bianca and instantly falls in love with her. Lucentio overhears Baptista announce that he is on the lookout for tutors for his daughters, so he has his servant Tranio pretend to be him while he disguises himself as a Latin tutor named Cambio, so that he can woo Bianca.

When Pertrucio arrives in Padua to gain some wealth and fortune, he stumbles across Horentzio who decides that he would be a perfect suitor for Katherina. 

Petruchio, to counter Katherina's shrewish nature, woos her with reverse psychology, pretending that every harsh thing she says or does is kind and gentle. This is a brilliant section of comedy as the banter between the two characters is both comical and witty. 

Katherina allows herself to become engaged to Petruchio, and they are married in a farcical ceremony during which he strikes the priest, and then takes her home against her will. Once there, he begins the "taming" of his new wife, using more reverse psychology. Finally, Katherina comes to understand Petruchio's methods of taming, and when they are on a journey to see Baptista, she willingly agrees with Petruchio that the sun is the moon, and proclaims that "if you please to call it a rush-candle,/Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me" (4.5.14-15). 

Meanwhile Bianca elopes with Lucentio, and Hortensio is persuaded by Tranio that Bianca is not worthy of his attentions. Hortensio marries a rich widow, and so in the final scene of the play there are three newly married couples at Baptista's banquet; Bianca and Lucentio, the widow and Hortensio, and Katherina and Petruchio. A quarrel breaks out during the banquet about who's wife is more obedient. Each wife gets called into the room and whoever attends her husband first is the one who is most obedient.  Katherina is the only one of the three who comes, winning the wager for Petruchio. At the end of the play, after the other two wives have been hauled into the room by Katherina, she gives a speech on the subject of why wives should always obey their husbands, and tells them that their husbands ask only "love, fair looks and true obedience" (5.2.153). 

Continuation of my ramblings now with Richard the Third. I'm not going to lie. I did not like this play when we were studying it and therefore need to try and get my head around it. After Hamlet, it is the longest play in the canon and is the longest of the First Folio, whose version of Hamlet is shorter than its Quarto counterpart. The play is rarely performed unabridged; often, certain peripheral characters are removed entirely. In such instances extra lines are often invented or added from elsewhere in the sequence to establish the nature of characters' relationships. (according to wikipedia) 

(Version of Richard the Third with Sir Ian McKellan playing the lead role)

Richard the Third is a tragedy revolving around the life of the troubled monarchy. Richard III (the Duke of Gloucester) still has his eye on the throne even though his brother, Edward IV occcupies it. The Duke of Gloucester plans on setting Edward IV and his other brother George (Duke of Clarence) against one another so he can eventually seize the throne. Betraying his brother George, The Duke of Gloucester casts doubt on his brother, resulting in George being arrested on the charge of treason. Showing his evil, the Duke of Gloucester even pursues Anne, the widow of the slain Edward, Prince of Wales (Henry VI's son). Scandalously, the Duke of Gloucester does not even let a funeral procession (for Henry VI) get in his way.The Duke of Gloucester successfully courts Anne despite telling her he had her husband killed because he loved her.

Edward IV dies, intensifying the Duke of Gloucester's desire for the throne. Leaving nothing to chance, The Duke of Gloucester has already made plans for brother Clarence to die in the Tower of London, Clarence drowning in a wine barrel. Naturally the Duke of Gloucester will have to take the throne until Edward V, Edward's IV's son and heir is of age to rule. (there are so many names it gets confusing). Richard III has Buckingham spread rumours that King Edward IV and his children are all illegitimate. Richard arranges to be publicly offered the crown which he pretends to be reluctant to take.

Richard asks Buckingham to secure the death of the princes, but Buckingham hesitates. Richard then recruits James Tyrrell, who kills both children and later experiences minor guilt. When Richard denies Buckingham a prior-promised land grant, Buckingham turns against Richard and defects to the side of Henry, Earl of Richmond, who is currently in exile. Richmond has his eye on Richard's niece, princess Elizabeth, and poisons Lady Anne so he can be free to woo the princess.The Duchess of York and Queen Elizabeth mourn the princes' deaths, when Queen Margaret arrives. Queen Elizabeth, as predicted, asks Queen Margaret's help in cursing. Later, the Duchess applies this lesson and curses her only surviving son before leaving. Richard tries his old dissembling to get into princess Elizabeth's "nest of spicery", but her mother is not taken in by his eloquence, and even manages to trick and stall him.

In due course, the increasingly paranoid Richard loses what popularity he had. He soon faces rebellions led first by Buckingham and subsequently by the invading Richmond. Buckingham is captured and executed. Both sides arrive for a final battle at Bosworth Field. Richard is soon unhorsed on the field at the climax of the battle. Richmond kills Richard in the final duel. Subsequently, Richmond succeeds to the throne as Henry VII, and marries Princess Elizabeth from the House of York.

Okay, so I have probably bored you readers enough, if there is any of you there. So will leave it at that, plus I keep getting cramp in my hand. Until next time...

A Little Catfish In A Big Blue Sea... *spoilers may be included*

From the outset of the film Catfish you can instantly tell that the film is about something computer related as the Universal logo is pixelated and a cursor appears and spins the globe. (very cool in my opinion).

Catfish is a difficult film to review, as the biggest moment in this documentary is also the one that can’t be revealed without spoiling it for anyone that has yet to see it. It is a documentary from filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman that focuses on Schulman’s 24-year old photographer brother, Yaniv “Nev” Schulman, as he experiences a shocking surprise stemming from a romance that began on Facebook.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3EDxgecC14 

The main storyline is involved around this with many twists and turns in the tale. This is clear from the outset in the trailer. But what you won’t gleam from the trailers is that while the surprise might be the driving force of the documentary, the film really shines in the deep and thoughtful examination of why things are the way they are in the first place.

Now, I'm going to try and do a brief summary of the film: this is where the SPOILERS are!
In short, New York photographer Yaniv "Nev" Schulman strikes up an online correspondence with an 8-year-old (!) called Abby, who sends him a painting she's done of one of his photographs.

From there, he begins to interact with Abby's mother, Angela, and Abby's older half-sister Megan, with whom he soon finds himself in an e-romance.

Throughout this, a creeping dread suffuses the film until it becomes fairly clear that Abby and her family aren't necessarily all they're cracked up to be.

A trip to catch Angela and co. unawares in her hometown of Ishpeming, Michigan reveals the truth behind the "people" that Nev - and, by now, his brother Ariel and friend Henry - have been interacting with.

Catfish raises many questions, though "is it real?" is the least of its worries. Why, for example, would a grown man think it appropriate to enter into an online friendship with an 8-year-old? Why would her mother actively encourage it?

Oddly enough, considering the film's resolution, the relationship with Megan is the least problematic. Most people would admit to having experienced at least an element of online romance at one time or another, either via Twitter, a blog, a mailing list, or good old fashioned internet dating.

I'm not going to spoil everything and am going to recommend that you all watch this film! I thoroughly enjoyed and was waiting to find out what happens next. At some points, you could even assume it to be a horror film. I think I like it in the ending when it is revealed why it is called Catfish, however I now cannot find it anywhere. haha! There goes my amazing ending with the quote, but if you watch the film you will know the quote I am speaking about.

Stars: *****