Things I need to Stop/Start Doing

Woohoo! Happy Friday, dears! I’m working hard to at least bring forth some blog posts (i.e. more than two of last week) this week, and what better than this vague post about things I need to stop/start doing. So, here is my list. Feel free to comment on what YOU need to stop doing as well.

I need to start scheduling blogposts when I have open time. (and not napping).

I need to stop saying Winter is my favorite season. I fucking hate winter.

I need to stop complaining. Holy cow. I complain a lot these days. Granted, I have plenty of reason, but I need to channel some of this shit internally!

I need to stop writing this post while I’m actually writing a review for The Host (the book).

I need to finish (Actually START) this reading list. The books on it are:

Looking for Alaska (John Green)

The Woman Who Stole my Life (Marian Keyes)

The Ruby Circle (Richelle Mead)

Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)

Atonement (Ian McEwan)

I have 4/5 of these books, just WAITING to be read.

I need to stop eating so much junk

I need to finish watching Pretty Little Liars season 5, then write a scathing review for it because it sucks.

I need to watch a Blindspot movie. I think I will watch Interstellar next.

I need to send Eric my Shitfest entry. It is mostly done. At least.

I need to start studying in earnest. I’ve been actually quite good this semester so far, but I still need to work really hard.

I need to prepare for another two weeks in Potchefstroom.

I need to finish my blanket I’m crocheting. Things I’ve learnt while working on this blanket:

Don’t start a project without having ALL THE YARN YOU NEED

Use thick yarn for a blanket. Fuckit.

I need to go to bed earlier. My wild life now starts at five in the morning, and I need sleep to be out of the door at 5:30. FML.

Okay, I’m going to finish the Host’s review now, which will hopefully run before this post!

July 31, 2015July 27, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Friday, GeneralTags: Friday, fun, Pretty Little Liars 5 Comments

Book Review: The Host (Stephanie Meyer)

Plot: Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, didn’t expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she’s never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love

Rating: 6.5/10

I for one did not think I would rate this book anything higher than a five. I went in with rather low expectations – because even though I certainly don’t despise Twilight like the rest of the world does (especially Zoë), it was at the time of its release the worst thing to happen to feminism since the sandwich (and is terribly written). Meyer wrote this one in between the Twilight saga, and I still cannot forgive her for inspiring Fifty Shades of Grey (I mean, she didn’t write it, BUT SHE STARTED IT, to sound like a two year old). This is much, much better than Twilight was, for a variety of reasons, but mostly because Melanie Stryder would kick Bella Swans ass without thinking twice about it.

My first (of a relatively and surprisingly few) negative comment is that the book starts really slowly and takes ages to actually have events occurring. Melanie/Wanderer’s days before they run to the caves are terribly mundane. I think fifty pages would have been more than enough to establish that Wanderer was not like the other souls and gotten her to the caves.

Then there is the whole undeveloped Sci-Fi angle. I have never been a Sci-Fi girl. My dad adores it and my older sister got that from him but I find it really boring actually. The Host is a really mellow Sci-Fi work and I found myself wanting more information. The creatures are never explained (at all), they have no name and their origin planet has no title. The planets Wanderer visited are named “Mists Planet” and “See Weeds” and stuff like that. This could have actually been interesting but if something was even titled, it was vaguely done so.

Like with any melodramatic new dystopian author, Stephanie Meyer includes useless drama into this book. What was the point of Wes dying? OR the cancer guy’s death? It served no purpose. Maggie and her mother’s antagonism towards Wanda looked like it was aiming for a major showdown but frizzled out.

The violence on women is still pretty heavy. Yeah, I get that this is an alien in a woman’s body but sheesh, hitting her around? That is never justifiable, for any reason.

I hated that the Seeker’s Soul was sent off to another planet. Talk about anticlimactic.

What I did enjoy, and eventually made me have fun with this book, is Melanie’s character. Her need to survive was not only because she had such an undying love for Jared, but that she needed to see that her brother was safe too. It seems less needy than the thought that she just needed Jared in her life. The conversations between her and Wanderer are entertaining at times and become well written through the course of the book – the first interactions are really confusing. Wanderer and Melanie could not be more different; with the only similarities that they are good creatures and they both love Jamie and Jared.

Ian’s character: Jared was such a douche most of the time, and while he really suited Melanie – who was a diehard human, Ian was a better choice for Wanda – he was as soul-like as a human could be.

The point I think Meyer was trying to make – that kindness should not be limited only to the human race, and that love doesn’t fade.

The Host surprised me – it is miles better than Twilight and developed a good pace through the book.It isn’t only about romance, it is about hope and family and the survival of the human race as well. It ends with a strong open end for a sequel – so many unresolved emotions and the introduction of more human cells. I do hope that there might be one in the future, because I might just read it!

July 29, 2015July 27, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviwTags: Books, Ian O'Shea, Jared Howe, Melanie Stryder, Reading, Review, Reviews, Stephanie Meyer 4 Comments

Movie Review: Kick Ass (2010)

Plot: Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so

Rating: 8.5/10

This.Movie. Like really. I absolutely friggin loved it. It is so much hilarity from start to finish. It blatantly teases the whole world’s obsession with superheroes but it isn’t a spoof movie – those are really shitty and generally suck. I absolutely love Aaron Taylor in here; I loved Chloe Grace Moretz in here, Evan Peters does such an adorable nerd vibe and I loved him too. Nicholas Cage is an absolute scream and that costume. OMG. I loved it. It is hilarious and cringe worthy and non-stop “action”. Dave Lizewski’s suit is the most cringe worthy superhero outfit I’ve ever seen. Red Mist… I can only say what the fuck? The hair, the lisp, the erm… attitude. Yeah, the whole package just had me rolling around laughing my ass off. The swearing got a little intense, especially for Hit-Girl, but it was still hilarious and worked because it didn’t feel so forced. I loved Hit-Girl’s power and how Kick-Ass looked like such a wimp next to her… yay to girl power! It’s great to have little girls see that they can save the day, not just be a princess that needs saving.

Kick Ass clearly pokes  funat superhero movies but it is done in such an enjoyable fashion that it is hard to take offence for one of my favourite genres. It’s a coming of age film mixed with superheroes and action and is gut busting all the way through. Mark Strong makes such a cool villain and he entertained me as Red Mist’s shady father.

Chloe Grace Moretz was such a damn cute kid. It is strange to think that she was so young only five years ago – what is she now, 20? Anyway, I think she was a great actress in here and I really dislike kids as main characters most of the time. Her interaction with Cage and Taylor was great and she managed to look badass and cute at the same time – a formidable feat!

I am so happy I watched this movie. It is now one of my favourite superhero films and I will definitely see it again. Have you seen it? What did you think?

July 22, 2015July 21, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewTags: Aaron Taylor, Big Daddy, Chloe Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Evan Peters, Hit-Girl, Kick Ass, Movies, Nicholas Cage, Reviews 10 Comments

Movie Review: Something Borrowed (2011)

Plot: Friendships are tested and secrets come to the surface when terminally single Rachel falls for Dex, her best friend Darcy’s fiancé

Rating: 6.5/10

I know I’ve seen this movie at some point. It is utterly forgettable and something that won’t survive the test of time (i.e. typical Kate Hudson movie style). That doesn’t mean that it is a horrible movie or deeply offensive because it isn’t. It even manages to raise some ethical questions – if your best friend steals the man you were falling for, do you have the right to fight back for him? Should you have spoken up? Should the man have spoken up? Was it okay for your best friend to do that to you – especially a childhood friend that knows everything about your reaction towards then and could have deduced exactly how she was feeling? The answers to those three questions are: Yes – you should speak up. Yes – he should speak up. And NO, it is never okay to steal your friend’s crush.

I loved the long hair on Ginnifer Goodwin. She manages to play the sweet and shy Rachel really well. I had issues with Rachel, but I also sympathised with her. It is hard in life to be the quiet girl not always able to say her feelings out loud – I’ve been that girl and had to work hard to be able to voice my feelings. I think Colin Egglesfield is absolutely gorgeous but I think Dex’s character was not realistic at all – can hot men be that deep? I am not so sure. I really don’t understand the point of John Krasinki in here – sorry, but what was the whole point of Ethan’s character? Then there is Kate Hudson being Kate Hudson, beautiful and not particularly talented. She plays the girl she always plays – beautiful, popular, a little bit dumb and she has good feelings even though she acts horrible to the people around her.

The movie drags at the end. It actually feels like the end has arrived on about three occasions then they return to the story and carry on some more. It’s exhausting. Other than that, this movie is fine for what it is: Fun to watch with your friends drinking wine, and easy to forget as you turn into sleep, but the reminder remains: don’t poach friends’ crushes.

July 20, 2015July 19, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewTags: Colin Egglesfield, Ginnifer Goodwin, John Krasinki, Kate Hudson, Movies, Reviews, Romantic Comedies, romcom 17 Comments

Friday Fun: Life Lately (what’s happening right now) and responses to two award nominations

Hello! Happy Friday! Have we all dealt with the fact that we are half way through the year (I did a mid-year review here if you want to go check!). I know I’ve only semi accepted that half of this year is gone. Sigh. But anyhow, here is a rundown of everything going down in my life right now as well as responses for two awards I was nominated for.

Life:

It is slightly better and I’ve learnt to deal with my father’s not so great health. Mostly. It is still particularly hard, but I’ve kind of desensitized and that has helped me so much.

Planning to do a 10km walk in August for Women’s month. FYI – I’m not fit enough to do a 10km walk so I better get my ass into exercise mode.

I am obsessed with crocheting. It started out mildly – my older sister, mom and my sister’s mom-in-law started crocheting and I joined because it gets rather boring when everyone crochets and you are just sitting there twiddling your thumbs. Then I got obsessed and now I can’t stop. It is insanity. I crocheted a skull on Zoë’s request (pic below). I was so damn chuffed! I’m busy with a blanket and should finish up this scarf I am nearly done with. So.much.fun.

Books:

Nothing worth mentioning on here actually. I am reading all my favorite Nora Roberts books for the umpteenth time and I love it. I still need to read most of the books I listed here. Zoë loved the Rosie Project and recommended it to me, so that is my next avenue to explore.

Movies and Series:

I got to go to the cinema twice recently, and enjoyed both Jurassic World and Inside Out. I finally chose a movie to review for my Sugar Pappy’s Shitfest. Hopefully by next week you will have it, Sugar Pappy Giuseppe!

I tried watching Pretty Little Liars Season 5… Let’s just say NOPE. It’s cheesy and lame and every time I think the season is improving it slips again.

Have you seen the new Sherlock posters doing the rounds? I am so excited. Right now I will take any morsel they throw my way. I want to do a complete run of the show before they start again. #cantwait #sherlocked

Also – the new Hunger Games posters! ERMAGHERD If you haven’t read the book, or know what happens in the last section of the books, good luck. That is all I’m going to say.

Some moral questions:

Can we for a second ponder the incredulous world we live in? Where ratbags like Ariana Grande and Donald Trump gets more attention than Greece defaulting on its debt – or the war in Syria – or the AIDS pandemic?

Really world, get your priorities in order. FFS

1^st Award Answers

Thanks to Christina from My Tiny Obsessions for nominating me for the Sisterhood of the World blogger’s Award.

The Rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.

Put the award logo on your blog.

Answer the questions the tagger has given you.

Nominate ten other bloggers

Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.

Questions (lets go with a theme, shall we?! Quick and easy!):

1. Favorite book?

It changes from time to time – I fall in love with good books the way a teenage girl falls in love with boys – all the time. My most recent favorite book was Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. The Classics – Emma by Jane Austen. Epic Fantasy – Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince – JK Rowling.

 

2. Favorite TV show?

Downton Abbey

 

3. Favorite Movie?

Crazy, Stupid Love

4. Favorite Book-Movie/TV adaptation?

The Lord of The Rings – JRR Tolkien

 

5. Favorite Actor?

On looks – Chris Hemsworth

On talent – James McAvoy (and his looks are gorgeous too!)

 

6. Favorite Actress?

Emma Stone

7. Favorite Author?

Nora Roberts

8. Favorite Book ship?

Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter – Harry Potter

Eleanor and Park – Eleanor and Park

Gus and Hazel –The Fault in Our Stars

 

9. Favorite TV Show ship?

Michael and Mary Crawley

10. Favorite Movie ship?

Alley and Noah – The Notebook

As for nominating, I’m just listing some awesome blogs – go check them out (the blogs are listed below the last nomination)(. If you want to answer these extremely random questions I chose as a separate post or just in the comment section of my blog, feel free 😀

Questions:

Favorite Superhero

Most Hated Actor

Most Hated Actress

Favorite Animation

If you had to be stuck with Joffrey Baratheon or Justin Bieber, who would you choose?

What is your favorite car make?

Do you like chocolate?

Would you wear Crocs?

When you are in traffic and people are being dumbasses, are you the person who gives the death stare or are you the person looking like you are going to explode, get out of the car and go Hulk Smash on them all?

If you had to change your nationality, to which country would you move?

Then Drew from Drew’s movie reviews nominated me for a Liebster award. Thanks Drew!

The Rules:

Thank the blog who nominated you and link back to them.

Nominate up to 11 other bloggers to receive the coveted award.

Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.

Tell your readers 11 random facts about yourself.

Give the nominees 11 questions to answer on their blog when they post their nomination.

Can you wiggle your ears?

No haha. I really admire people who do!

Do you watch any web series? If so, what’s your favorite one?

I have no idea what that is. So I guess not 🙂 or I probably do, I’m just not aware of it haha.

What is the first movie you remember watching in the theaters?

Liar Liar.

Do you prefer 3D or 2D movies or are you indifferent?

2D. I think 3D is a waste of money and it is often not even that effective.

Do/Did you play any sports? Which ones?

I used to play Hockey. It is the best game ever

What is your favorite card game?

I am a master in Rummy

What is your favorite board game?

30 Seconds, teamed up with my sisters

What is your favorite video game?

If I play, Super Mario.

If you had a time machine and could go back in time without consequence of messing up the future, where and when would you visit and why?

I would love to travel back to see the discovery of major things – Fire, the wheel, electricity, etc. I would like to see the wonder and triumph on the faces of people who couldn’t even begin to realize that they had changed humanity for always.

Do you have a motto or mantra?

Everything becomes nothing. Depressing, I know, but it is the truest thing.

What is your favorite thing about blogging or being a blogger?

The first would be getting my opinion on things out there – it doesn’t feel that I’m just shouting my opinions into a void. The second would be is coming into contact with people I would never have met in my life without the blogging platform.

11 Random facts about myself?

Sheesh. I am not that random. I will try though.

I have a “Keep Calm and Carry On” mug in my office. I always look at it before I answer stupid questions. I think the mug has saved many lives as well as my job.

I love stationery. Papers, pens, books, sticky notes. I get so excited about it.

I want the word “insultment” to be added to the dictionary. It is beyond me that it hasn’t been added yet!

I’m a pretty aggressive driver.

I’m very open to people’s choices in life. I really don’t care what you prefer, as long as it brings no harm to other people. I can’t stand people who think they can tell other people who to love or what to believe.

I have a very bad habit of hiding someone’s feed on Facebook and then going back to their page and still looking at the annoying things they say. I don’t even know what is wrong with me.

I work in the third largest hospital in the world. It is… interesting to say the least.

If I only visit one other country in my life, I would choose France. I desperately want to see the Eiffel Tower. After that, I would head to Germany to go visit my ancestral homeland.

I used to really hate ginger cookies but now I love them.

I try to visit a new place in South-Africa each year. I live in this really picturesque country with such vastly different scenery. It is gorgeous and breathtaking here.

I am ridiculously amped to finish my pretty blanket

Tranquil Dreams

The Sporadic Chronicles of a Beginner Blogger

Emmakwall (Explains it all)

Film Grimoire 

Cinema Parrot Disco

Justine’s Movie Reviews

Movie Rob

The IPC

Alex Raphael

July 17, 2015July 12, 2015 by Natasha Categories: UncategorizedTags: Chris Hemsworth, Crazy Stupid Love, Downton Abbey, Eleanor and Park, Emma Stone, Friday, fun, Harry Potter, James McAvoy, Liebster Award, Nora Roberts, The Fault in Our Stars 5 Comments

Series Review: Downton Abbey Season 5

Rating: 8/10

I can’t believe that I‘ve watched everything there is to watch of this show right now. When is the next season coming? Next year? Can 2016 arrive now? Sherlock AND more Downton in one year? Yes, please.

This season is better than the fourth. Everyone has dealt with Matthew Crawley’s death and almost forgiven Dan Stevens for his choice to depart from the show (It is hard to hate him after seeing The Guest and knowing that he will be the Beast in the new Disney movie – also in 2016!). Even Rose managed to not annoy me so much – although her relationship with Atticus Finch and the time frame that Downton is now entering does not even hide what the writers are planning for season six. I liked her relationship with Atticus – she is a much more manageable person with him. I still hate her mother and like her father and find their divorce in the time this show plays off very interesting.

I thought Mary’s relationship with Tony Gillingham had great potential then just fell flat. I’m not saying she should have chosen him – I said back in my review of season four that he is not her intellectual equal, but the way the story worked out felt rushed and not properly developed. Her meeting that handsome man at the end of the Season tells me that she will have yet another suitor in Season 6. How gorgeous is Matthew Goode?! I hope he becomes a series regular in Season six!

Edith is still in her perpetual bubble of misery and still annoying AF. Sorry, this girl just constantly chooses to make herself unhappy. She chooses to compare herself with Mary endlessly. I do hope that she and the man who she also met in the last episode can be happy, but we will see if Edith allows herself to be happy. The fire in her room was quite dramatic and Barrow’s heroic rescue of Edith was a great moment in the show, and then they just left it and a great story stayed underutilized.

Can we just talk about the shocking death of Isis? (No, sadly not the terrorist organisation). Who kills the dog?!?!?! I loved that beautiful animal and really felt so sorry for Lord Grantham about it.

Tom planning to leave – NO. Come back, darling. I love you and little Sybbie too much. Come back now.

As for downstairs, I really enjoyed the latest romance. The Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes story has been developing for quite some time now, and it was so lovely to see a strong direction with their love story. Bates and Anna kept on being Bates and Anna – drama drama drama. Barrow still keeps on being Barrow – the second you have some sympathy for him he does something and you are just certain that you will never like him. The Spratt and Barrow bitch fest was really annoying – what is the point of either of them getting such sudden limelight?

Some of the smaller story angles managed to stay surprisingly interesting. I usually hate when writers of the story deviate too far from the story surrounding the central characters, but Charles Blake setting up the reunion of Tony Gillingham and his fiance had some entertaining moments (and I do think that Charles had his own ulterior motives there). I didn’t really get the point of the Dowager Countess and Prince Kuragin. It is definitely the most unique attempt at romance this show attempted yet. I love Maggie Smith’s role in here and she is such a fantastic asset, but come on: We really don’t HAVE to give every female in this show a marriage proposal, do we?

I really enjoyed this season and am so happy they returned to the original glory of the show. I can’t wait to see season six and I really hope that the show ends on a high note, although I am sobbing with angst that this show is ending!

July 15, 2015July 14, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Reviews, SeriesTags: Allen Leech, Charles Blake, Downton Abbey, Edit Crawley, Elizabeth McGovern, Henry Talbot, Hugh Bonneville, Isobel Crawley, Jim Carter, Laura Carmichael, Maggie Smith, Mary Crawley, Matthew Goode, Michelle Dockery, Review, Series, Tom Branson, Tony Gillingham, Violet Crawley 3 Comments

Book Review: Princess Diaries – Princess in Love (Meg Cabot)

Plot: Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo may seem the luckiest girl ever.

She’s a princess, for starters. She also lives in New York City. And while she’s no supermodel, mirrors do not crack at her reflection. Best of all, she finally has a boyfriend.

The truth is, however, that Mia spends all her time doing one of three things: preparing for her nervewracking entrée into Genovian society under the slave-driving but elegant Grandmère, slogging through congestion unique to Manhattan in December, and avoiding further smooches from her hapless boyfriend Kenny.

All she wants is a little peace and quiet. and a certain someone else to be her boyfriend. For Mia, being a princess in love is not the fairy-tale it’s supposed to be. or is it?

Rating: 7/10

Mia finally has what she’s always wanted – a boyfriend. However, since it backfired on her and is completely not the boy she wanted, she is back to her miserable state. She is also writing exams, and her grandmother does not seem to grasp that her education is just as important as her princess lessons. Knowing that she needs to break up with her boyfriend and confess her real feelings to Michael Moscovitz eventually, Mia is plagued by illness and stress. Can she sort out her love life, education and princess life this time?

Yay, book three and another round of fun. These books continue to entertain me and provide quite a large amount of giggles. The third book did feel like a filler since nothing really happened that couldn’t have happened in the other two previous ones, and even the constant run around with Michael eventually felt overworked. The book is still really quick to read and well written, and remains fun, but I can’t help but feel like it was just there as a publication and not really as a part of the story. I did enjoy the ending – Mia’s big moment with Michael was definitely worth the wait!

July 14, 2015July 12, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: Books, Meg Cabot, Mia Renaldi, Princess in Love, Reviews 2 Comments

Just what is this Macho Movie doing on my blog?! The Expendables III (2014)

Plot: Barney augments his team with new blood for a personal battle: to take down Conrad Stonebanks, the Expendables co-founder and notorious arms trader who is hell bent on wiping out Barney and every single one of his associates.

Rating: 5.5/10

So, I made it to the final one. Watching the Expendables has been consistent – consistently bad. The second one was the best because it had so much cheesy in it. I actually really enjoyed Expendables 2. It was hilariously cheesy and I can watch that again.

E3 has a bigger cast and bigger explosions but not a bigger heart. The younger cast wasn’t implemented correctly and it is a really bad day when Kellan Lutz has to be mentioned as the best performance of new cast members. He was actually much better than I expected.

Harrison Ford replaces Bruce Willis as the intelligence agent. He looks so painfully old. It makes me uncomfortable to face this stark reminder that even the greatest action stars aren’t immune against time.

The biggest thing in this movie was the music score. Why did they suddenly choose rap music? WHAT?

Then there are Sylvester’s outfits when he runs around with Kelsey Grammar playing rent a sniper. He just looked like a pimp. What?

That girl. Really, what was the idea? Her acting was so bad I couldn’t celebrate the existence of a female Expendable.

Antonio Banderas as the village idiot: WHAT? So bad and so annoying.

Just, WHAT?

July 13, 2015July 12, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewTags: action, Action Movies, Antonio Banderas, Arnold Swazzernegger, Dolph Lundgrun, Harrison Ford, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Kellan Lutz, Kelsey Grammar, Mel Gibson, Movies, Randy Couture, Review, Ronda Rousey, Sylvester Stallone, Terry Crews, The Expendables, The Expendables III, Wesley Snipes 6 Comments

Movie Review: Inside Out (2015)

Plot: After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness – conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.

Rating: 8.5/10

Joy can be sad. That statement is so deep man. Wow. Disney and Pixar united to produce this year’s most pleasant surprise – Inside Out is interesting and unique and wins this year’s race in the Originality department.  I enjoyed it immensely and am really happy I went to go see it.

I loved Riley’s progression from a newborn to a preteen and how her emotions carried her. It’s touching to witness the start of her life as a carefree infant to a more cautious preteen. With her maturing, other feelings arrive and it is not as easy for Joy to remain the most predominant feeling. My personal favorites were Sadness and Disdain (not the feelings, the characters). The casting of the voices worked well – Amy Poehler has the bubbliest voice ever and Mindy Kalling as Disgust was endlessly entertaining.

The animation was unique and pretty and original. It was simplistic but had fanciful elements as well and looked really beautiful.

My only comment that could be construed as not necessarily positive is that Inside Out might be over the head for children. They will certainly enjoy the pretty pictures, but the story is actually quite complex and intricate.

I loved the movie and think it belongs in some of my favorite animations of all time. I don’t often enjoy animations but I think this one is a film that can be enjoyed regardless if you enjoy the genre or not. Highly recommended!

July 9, 2015July 8, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewTags: 2015, Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Disney, Inside Out, Lewis Black, Mindy Kalling, movie, Phyllis Smith, Pixar, Review 4 Comments

Series Review: Downton Abbey Season 4

*THIS WHOLE DISCUSSION CONTAINS SPOILERS*

Rating: 8/10

This is the first time since the onset of the show that I’ve felt a slight dip in the quality. It still remains really good and my favorite show ever, but it is decidedly less fantastic as the previous three. Honestly, the death of Michael might be the main reason. Michelle Dockery did a fantastic job bringing Mary’s grief so well to life – Mary Crawley has never been a perfectly friendly person or a very kind one, and Matthew made her into the best person she could be. Her grief has so many stages – the stunned mourning, the tumbling tears and her eventual decision to start taking a part in Downton’s management and her son’s upbringing was wonderfully done. I also for the first time thought that Michael’s mother, Lady Isobel (Penelope Wilton), did a fantastic job in her role. I’ve been annoyed by her and mildly entertained, but I’ve never before thought that she’s particularly amazing in the acting department. Her relationship with Lady Violet was also beautiful and how the two ladies evolved and became really good friends.

I really dislike the decision of Lady Rose MacClare’s inclusion in the storyline. She’s annoying AF and I just can’t bring myself to like the character. Her mother is downright atrocious and I could not enjoy this story arc even if they brought Matthew back to life and made him a part of that particular story line. I also just can’t get a liking to Lily James. Maybe it is because of the mediocrity Cinderella turned out to be, but I just don’t enjoy her in here.

Oh, Edith. Just when I think that this poor girl actually has a chance of happiness and finds an interesting, engaging man, he goes and gets into a fight with some Nazis. Furthermore, she’s pregnant. One thing this show has done excellently is portray how lives have really improved for women. I mean, we still are underpaid and an alarming amount of women are still being abused, but at least we can get contraception relatively easy and it is not the end of the world if you get pregnant out of wedlock.

I really felt sorry for her because in giving up her child, not only did she give up the girl she carried for nine months but also the only memory of the man that she would have ended up really happy with.  (Great job to Laura Carmichael for her work here!)

I’m still in such awe of this castle ❤

Bates and Anna.LeSigh. I’ve mentioned before that the melodrama becomes too much for me sometimes and it peaked here again. I was so sad for Anna and her whole horrible experience and thought that also excellently showed how backwards female rights were in the 1920s. I thought it was well done and all, but the subsequent death and surrounding drama was too much. Honestly, can these two just be married and happy now and neither one in prison?!

Mr Carson and Mrs. Hughes.Two of my favorite characters finally edging towards a romantic entanglement?Hells yes.

I really disliked the whole crown Prince story and his dance with Rose. WHAT MADE THEM THINK THAT WE WOULD WANT TO WATCH THIS NONSENSE? ROSE ISN’T EVEN A DAMN CRAWLEY MAN.

Sarah Banting was such a pain man. I get that they are trying to show that Tom knows that this is not his life, but really, Sarah Banting was not so cool.

I really liked the inclusion of both Tony Gillingham (Tom Cullen) and Charles Blake (Julian Ovenden). If Mary ends up with either of these men, I would really choose Charles Blake for her. Let’s face it – Tony is incredibly gorgeous and so sweet, but Blake challenges Mary and is her intellectual equal.

Overall, there were some great decisions made and some not so great ones. I think I’ve had to deal with the departure of my dear Matthew – that scene killed my soul in Season 3 – and I only recovered by Season 5 😀 This is a great season, just not my favorite, but builds well enough that season 5 took over from this with great success.

July 8, 2015July 6, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Reviews, SeriesTags: Charles Blake, Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey Season 4, Edith Crawley, Hugh Bonneville, John Bates, Julian Ovenden, Laura Carmichael, Lily James, Mary Crawley, Michelle Dockery, Review, Rose MacClare, Sarah Banting, Series, Tom Cullen, Tony Gillingham 5 Comments