Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Book Review: Anna Karenina




“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”
Anna Karenina is an unhappily married aristocrat who is having an affair. The story follows her journey as she leaves her husband for another man and deals with society’s reaction. Her story plays alongside that of Levin and his love for Kitty. 
Anna Karenina is such a tragic figure who you go from loving to hating to pitying all in the one chapter. You feel her pain when she is separated from her son, her humiliation when shunned from society and her desperation when she finds her new relationship is not all she hoped it to be. I became immersed in her character and anytime the story focused on another I found myself anxious to return to Anna.
Levin is the other main character in this story. A laborer from the country he is desperately in love with Kitty. His character is extremely likable as the kind and awkward ‘foreigner’, unused to society. We watch his character grow throughout the novel and the story ends with his words.
However, for me the book is at its best when focused on Anna. Tolstoy created a great character in her and it makes for some fantastic reading.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

At the Beach

Last day of March                                                             



Sunday, February 26, 2012

Movie Review: In Time



The idea behind this movie is good - time is currency.
The plot starts out great and you forget Justin Timberlake is Justin Timberlake and become immersed in the storyline. We meet the soon to be stripper Alex Pettyfer and the always enjoyable to watch Cillian Murphy. There’s lots of running, threatening villains, and hostage situations, but then the movie just seems to get lost.

I love Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy but this movie is just not good enough for them. It’s a bit of fun, some enjoyable action scenes and it gets you thinking about the concept of time as currency. One thing I will say is that Timberlake is becoming more believable to me as an actor. However, I’d still like a new album Justin. Please?

Movie Review: The Vow



I am a big fan of chick flicks. More often than not, the ones I love are the ones that get torn apart by movie critics! However, I must say I was disappointed by the latest romance from director Michael Sucsy.

I had faith that this movie would be good because the crazy storyline of a woman forgetting her husband is based on a true story and Sucsy is the writer and director of another of my favorites Grey Gardens. Alas, it wasn’t to be.

The movie gets off to a good start, Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams have great onscreen chemistry and the early scenes are really funny and cute. It’s after this that the movie starts to go downhill. The plot loses its pace and the storyline becomes unfortunately predictable. 
It’s disappointing because the two actors do work well (and look well) together but this just wasn’t the right one for them.

Movie Review: Shame



This recent collaboration between Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender is one of those movies that stay with you after you leave the cinema. I went with a few friends to a late showing in one of the smaller screens and it was packed. Going to the cinema often, I always notice that group of guys who go together to have a great laugh and poke fun at the film, regardless of the subject matter. However, within the first ten-fifteen minutes they quieted down and didn’t make a sound for the remainder of the film. I think that is an indication in itself of the impact of Shame.

Fassbender is amazing as the troubled protagonist Brandon and it makes you want to watch every single feature he has ever been in just to enjoy watching him act so well.

Carey Mulligan is also really great as Brandon’s sister Sissy who comes to stay, causing all sorts of problems. It’s great to see her in such a far removed role compared to An Education (one of my favorite movies ever) and she plays the role effortlessly. I will never listen to New York, New York in the same way again.

But in the end, this movie is Fassbender’s. You cannot take your eyes off him from start to finish in an amazing totally enrapturing performance.

A must see film which I am still disappointed didn’t get any nominations for this year’s Oscars.