I decided to try something new and so I've started a new blog!
Check it out at http://whatkatythoughtnext.tumblr.com/
- Katy
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.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
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.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Snow Patrol
I also had the opportunity this week to see Snow Patrol at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast. A group of friends and I had standing tickets for the show and opted to remain back a little from the stage, which was beneficial for us because we were able to get the full experience of the stage production.
Snow Patrol are a great band live, putting a lot of heart into each song and Gary Lightbody has such a huge stage presence, engaging with the crowd throughout the concert, and all this was only increased by the fact that they were playing in their hometown. You could feel the appreciation the band have for all their fans and the crowd was only too happy to reciprocate, even taking over the singing duties once or twice, ‘Chasing Cars’ rang out around the arena like a National Anthem at a football match final.
The production itself was amazing, with great lighting and edgy camera work projecting the crowd and the band’s faces on screens at the back of the stage.
It all added to a great concert and an overall great performance that ended with a promise being made between the fans and Mr. Lightbody that with whatever opportunity came our way, we would ‘Just Say Yes’. Not even the fight that broke out beside us could dampen our mood. It is most definitely not the last Snow Patrol concert for me.
Movie Review: The Artist
I finally got to see The Artist last week and it was really worth the wait. Looking at the Michael Bay movies of today you would never expect a French, silent, black and white movie to become such a huge hit all around the world. However, once you see it, you understand why it’s a favorite to win the top award this February.
When it first begins, you can feel the uneasiness of the audience as they try to focus their attention on a movie unlike any others found in cinemas today, but that’s when the magic begins. The story itself is so charming and the actors (including the wonderful dog Uggie) are so fantastic that you quickly forget that there’s no colour or dialogue, instead becoming completely immersed in the story of George and Peppy. The audience provide the dialogue themselves, laughing and gasping at just the right moments. Credit also needs to be given to Ludovic Bource for his perfectly suited music that adds so much life to each scene. You really come out of the cinema humming and tap-dancing!
The Artist is such a refreshing movie, and definitely one of the best I’ve seen in quite some time. Michel Hazanavicius and his movie deserve all the praise it has been receiving, and more.
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