Cinderella – Life of this city girl

Best Films of 2015: 11-20

best of 2015

Fifty Shades of Grey

Original rating: 6/10

Does it still hold? It might eventually fall to a 5.5

You are all right now: fuck this, not reading this shit. It gets better. Let’s focus on that this film, while being terrible, was not as bad as it could have been.

What I liked: Dakota Johnson did her best and she’s the best part of the film. The score was also really well done and is the only other saving grace in the film.

What I didn’t like: The line is LONG here. Jamie Dornan has no charisma on screen, he looked so freaked out to touch Johnson and he was frigid. Then the directing didn’t help things along either, sack that director. You can go read the list of complaints by clicking on the link above though, because I can’t remember everything that annoyed me, but I will mention that movie remains a movie about the glorification of abuse.

San Andreash

San Andreas

Original rating: 6/10

Does it still hold? It might eventually edge up to a 6.5

What I liked:

Dwayne Johnson and his type cast roles work well because Dwayne Johnson is excellently type casted. He is so big and brawny but with a nice guy attitude that he works exceptionally well as a hero. A really big one.

AllesandraDaddario. I really enjoyed her in here and she was such a strong female character.

What I didn’t like:

It is exactly the same as every other action movie out there. A bit of variation would have made this movie really cool, but it was written in the same formulaic tone that always works, but rarely excites.

Paper-Towns-Quad-Poster

Paper Towns

Original rating: 6.5/10

Does it still hold? No. Thinking back I enjoyed this less than number 20, so eventually it might drop to a 6.

What I liked: Not too much. Mostly just Cara with-the-difficult-surname’s eyebrows.

What I didn’t like: I’m just too old for these kid movies. Over it. That and Margot Roth Spielman was a terrible character.

Cinderella carriage

Cinderella

Original rating: 6.5/10

Does it still hold? Yeah

What I liked: My beautiful Robb Stark as Prince Charming. Gosh. Although extremely under-utilized, I also really enjoyed Cate Blanchett as the stepmom. Helena Bonham Carter is always a treat on screen and she didn’t disappoint either.

What I didn’t like: Disney did not change one single thing. It is truly the live version of the animation, and yet if they took another angle I would likely have loved it way more.

Magic mike xxl

Magic Mike XXL

Original rating: 6.5/10

Does it still hold? Yeah

What I liked: These guys obviously worked much harder at being more original and it came across. The embarrassment threshold a person should possess to sit through this is still very high, but it was quite entertaining.

What I didn’t like: Not much really. The acting was terrible but it certainly wasn’t a prerequisite to the success of the film.

LONGEST-RIDE-QUAD

The Longest Ride

Original rating: 6.5/10

Does it still hold? Eh. Not sure.

What I liked: Brit Robertson, Scott Eastwood, YAY. I liked both characters.

What I didn’t like: The story didn’t mesh very well, was badly told and was boring in a few places. Nicholas Sparks needs to stop making movies for the sake of getting his books made into movies.

Me earl and the dying girl POSTER

Me, Earl and the Dying Girl

Original Rating: 7.5/10

Does it still hold? It might fall to 7 in the future.

What I liked: The fact that it was about friendship not romance. Since I lost someone to cancer I don’t find movies about cancer interesting at all, I find them distasteful because they are so unrealistic. Yet this movie wasn’t as offensive and managed to be sweet. It has a very indie vibe to it and that worked great as well.

What I didn’t like: It felt a bit long. That’s mostly all that I recall in hindsight.

The Mockingjay Poster

Mockingjay Part II

Original rating: 7.5/10

Does it still hold? Eh. Not sure. It was good though.

What I liked: the slightly altered ending made Katniss seem like a much nicer person, the fact that they kept to all those deaths that occur in the book because some of them were hard to include and the feeling of how everything in Panem is at an end – the film had a great somber tone going for it.

What I didn’t like: The film loses track with some of the characters. I’ll even suggest that they should have included some extra dialogue to take you to where Gale ended up. It is a big mistake in the book and shouldn’t have been taken into the film.

pitch-perfect-2

Pitch Perfect 2

Original rating: 7.5/10

Does it still hold? Yeah. My favorite comedy of the year.

What I liked: The fact that there is a franchise out there that celebrates female friendships and team work as well as being about something that doesn’t have a penis. The hilarity of Fat Amy and her antics, the ridiculousness of the acapella wars and everything that accompanies it just makes the franchise great.

What I didn’t like: Really not much to complain about here. It worked really well and falls technically into my top ten for the year with that rating.

Age of Adaline

Age of Adaline

Original rating: 7.5/10

Does it still hold? Maybe an 8

What I liked: It was a genuinely good film and Blake Lively shone. I truly enjoyed her and she was perfectly cast. Michiel Huisman is drop dead gorgeous yummy, and he suited that role of a lover perfectly. The film isn’t for everyone, but it was a great experience for me.

What I didn’t like? I really liked this movie, so there isn’t anything to bitch about right now.

Tune in tomorrow for the top ten!

January 6, 2016January 4, 2016 by Natasha Categories: 2015, Movies, Reviews, UncategorizedTags: 2015, Age of Adaline, Cinderella, Fifty Shades of Grey, Magic Mike XXL, Me Earl and the Dying Girl, Mockingjay Part II, Movies, Paper Towns, Pitch Perfect 2, Reviews, San Andreas, The Longest Ride, Top Movies 9 Comments

HAPPY MIDDLE OF THE YEAR – MID YEAR IN REVIEW

Hello everyone! Today is the 2^nd of July, a.k.a. the EXACT MIDDLE OF THE YEAR. In exactly 183 days we will be partying in 2016. It also means that we only have another 183 days left where things can go totally wrong for us. Not bad, eh?!

To celebrate this joyous occasion, I have compiled a list of things that I’ve done in this year that seems noteworthy… or not. It at least proves the amount of time I spend on movies, books and series! Enjoy!!

2015 Movies watched so far:

The movie year didn’t start off so well for me. I mean, I watched Seventh Son. I gave it a 6/10, and I still think that is a very fair assessment. It is really not great and it could have been much more with the cast they had available.

The next was Best of Me, a movie adaption from Nicholas Sparks. It was unoriginal and cheesy, typical Sparks. I gave it a 6/10 as well, and counted my losses, and looked with hope to the next movie.

The next movie is still one of my favorites of the year, Ballade vir ‘n enkeling. It is a South-African film and I thought it would be okay at best. It was so well done. I was and am so proud of the quality they produced here and super chuffed that it is a local film, that I got to see it in cinema and that one of the lead actors, Armand Aucamp, was nice enough to read the post, comment on it and favorite it on Twitter #hellyeah #famousness. I gave it a well-deserved 8/10.

I went to see Disney’s latest live adaption, Cinderella, in cinema. It wasn’t close to the entertainment that Maleficent brought us last year. The story was exactly as it has been since Cinderella the animation was released a million years ago, the characters were perfectly cast (but was that even necessary?). I think that if Disney wants to keep on doing these and make them a success they need to make it unique or at least change perspectives of the film. I gave it a 6.5/10, because it was quite enchanting even though it wasn’t excellent.

I chose watching Kingsman: A Secret Service, instead of Fifty Shades in Cinema, and let me tell you, it was an excellent decision. The movie is

Avengers: Age of Ultron has easily been my most anticipated movie of 2015. I am a massive fan of the first Avengers, and think Marvel excelled there. This time around everything was bigger – the villain, the explosions, the fights, the character development. It worked really well although I don’t see the point of the love story. But anyway. It was good, and I rated it an 8/10

Fifty Shades of Grey.LOLS. I know so many people who were really looking forward to this. I wasn’t, and even refused to go watch it in cinema because that would mean helping it edge closer to the billion dollar mark at the cinema (which it didn’t, and I’m very sure it is because I stood my ground!). It is bad. Like really, really bad. The source material is nothing to work from, because it is sex, sex and more sex and then more sex on top of that. You can’t put all that sexy time into a movie in the graphic detail the readers seems to have wanted into a film and show it to large audiences. The acting was awful – the best was Dakota Johnson, and she’s not any Meryl Streep if you know what I mean. The chemistry lacked, the lines were painfully cheesy and the sexy time wasn’t sexy. Just go read my review and see what I said haha. I gave it a 6/10, received some flak for it, but I stand firm – it wasn’t THAT bad and Johnson worked really hard at this.

Pitch Perfect 2 was my most apprehensive venture into cinema yet this year. I hated the first one (disclaimer: I need to watch it again because I was hanging when I saw the first one and it might not be that bad). The second one was really a lot of fun and had elements of girl power, and you all know I cheer madly when that happens. I love Fat Amy, she’s hilar, and I think the execution of the movie was really well done. I gave it an 8/10 again.

I just watched Jurassic World and thought it was great fun and a very good sequel. I don’t really know if I support more movies coming into this franchise, but after the massive box office hit I am sure they won’t let this in peace. Chris Pratt the adventurer is also a lovely thing to behold 😉

Books

I’ve read an astonishingly small amount of new books this year, instead rereading all my favorite ones. The best book I’ve read for the first time this year is definitely Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. I campaigned to everyone I knew to read that book and still do – it is such a cute book man.

I recently read the first four books in the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. It is not such an amazing achievement though, as the books are never more than a 150 pages long each. They are really fun though, and excellent entertainment when your brain needs some easy fun.

The Liar by Nora Roberts proved to be a very nice read. The quality of her last couple of books hasn’t been excellent, so naturally I was relieved when this book had some entertainment value.

The Brightest Star in the Sky has been the oddest book I’ve ever read from Marian Keyes, and she is well known for her odd books. The book is way too long and often a bit drawn out, but I had a good time.

I am currently busy reading Atonement by Ian McEwan. I’ve been interested in this book after seeing the heart wrenching movie, and although I am only a few pages in I find that the book is really well written.

Further on I would like to get to The Woman who Stole my Life (Marian Keyes), Looking for Alaska (John Green), Indelible (Karin Slaughter) and Ruby Circle (Richelle Mead).

Series

The Dawn of Downton Abbey

Have you guessed I would talk about this series on here? Because I’ve reviewed Seasons 1, 2 and 3 already, and guess what? Season four is scheduled for scheduled for tomorrow 😀 :D. I blew through all the seasons of this. It is simply impossible to stop watching something so well done. It is very likely my favorite series of all time. Season three made me rather angry – some deaths were SO uncalled for. Season four was good but not up to the standards of the previous three and season five was as good as the first three. Have I mentioned that I can’t wait for the sixth season?

Game of Thrones

Meh. I hoped season five would be like the glorious first two seasons. But we can’t always have what we want, right? I reviewed the first four episodes and still need to get to the rest, but really, I am so disinterested in Westeros at the moment. The story is badly developed at the moment and I think they are incapable of dealing with the expanding territories at the moment.

Gilmore Girls

I spent a lot of time running through this series this year. It is the best throwback EVER. I still need to finish Season 7, but as we know it is not the best ever. There are increasing talks to get a movie out, but we will still see, won’t we?

I am currently busy with Pretty Little Liars Season 5. It is okay, but I think I’ve seen so many other series that are really good at this point that I am slightly bored with this right now. It makes for senseless viewing, which isn’t a bad thing at all. I would like to get into Vikings – I saw the first few minutes of the first episode and it hasn’t gripped me yet. Daredevil and Agent Carter are the two Marvel series I am looking forward at watching as well. YAY for Superheroes!!

How has your year been so far?

July 2, 2015July 2, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Books, Fun, Movies, Reviews, SeriesTags: Age of Ultron, Anna Kendrick, Atonement, Ballade vir 'n enkeling, Best of Me, Books, Cinderella, Colin Firth, Dakota Johnson, Downton Abbey, Eleanor and Park, Fifty Shades of Grey, fun, Game of Thrones, Gilmore girls, Ian McEwan, James Marsden, Jurassic World, Kingsman, Lilly James, Marian Keyes, Meg Cabot, Middle of The Year, Movies, Nicholas Sparks, Nora Roberts, Pitch Perfect 2, Princess Diaries, Rainbow Rowell, Rebel Wilson, Reviews, Richard Madden, Series, Seventh Son, The Brightest Star in the Sky, the Liar 13 Comments

Movie Review: Cinderella (2015)

“I have to tell you a secret that will see you through all the trials that life can offer. Have courage and be kind.”

Plot: When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her daughters. Never one to give up hope, Ella’s fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger.

Rating: 6.5/10

With the annual event of a live animated Disney film, we know what to expect: the knowledge that a dress and pretty shoes will help you find your Prince. I mean, who needs personality or brains or kindness? Nope, just have your dress, shoes, evil stepmom, fairy godmother and mouse ready, coz you are going to find that handsome bastard and marry him within a first few days of your meeting. Oh, there will be some challenges, but because you are nice and everything it will all work out in the end.

Now that I’m finished with those nasty thoughts, I was really excited for this film and that it didn’t pay off. I had hoped for something more than the classic fairytale, but Kenneth Branagh produced what can really be called a reinforced version of Disney’s favorite fairytale.

Pros

Kenneth Branaugh really worked his material to the best of its ability. Cinderella is shot beautiful with such colourful style and just a slight hint of flamboyance and is able to carry the movie when the plot slows down.

The casting of Richard Madden. Can the world just stand still with me and marvel at Robb Stark’s incredible beauty and talent. This guy is a phenomenon in the “Zoë and Natasha’s eternal debate on the need of male facial hair” debate – we both agree that Rob’s little moustache is delicious and should be kept in a hall of fame. The news that he was cast as Prince Charming made me so excited but he was sadly devoid of facial hair in the trailer, which disappointed me a bit. Well, Madden apparently works with either option because he is the perfect Charming to James’ Cinderella. He also does a really good job as Kit and his acting is impressive. I enjoyed the looks you got at him with his father – there was love and the acknowledgement of their duties between them. The insight into his kind heart justifies why a woman would just accept a man’s hand at the blink of an eye.

Background on Cinderella. I am naturally suspect on truly sweet people – it seems so unnatural for a person to always be kind and nice, a foreign concept in our world. James as Cinderella is then naturally suspected because that kind behavior to such wicked people seems very incomprehensible. The childhood factor helped to show that Ella was always taught to be kind to people even when they didn’t deserve it and that shaped her to become the doormat for the wicked Stepmother and her loony daughters. (I still don’t trust Cinderella, she’s too nice)

Some background on stepmother, although not enough. Cate Blanchett handles this role with ease; she’s done much more with just such excellence before. It is criminal that she wasn’t more used. Some insight into her deplorable activities were given – why would a woman openly hate a young girl the second they met? It has been on my mind lately how bitter women become so bitter and cruel and this was just another case study how such things happen. I enjoyed Lady Tremaine’s attitude, her sarcasm and her constant irritation with her silly daughters, and yet you could tell that she loved her daughters despite the fact that she wanted to kill them.

The first dance between Kit and Cinderella at the ball. Call my heart soft and squishy but the romance in this scene was tangible and beautiful. That dress was incredible and Madden leading James through that dance sequence had me sighing with happiness.

I am a huge Disney fan, but as time progresses and I am more aware of the subconscious sexism women are subjected to each day I am more and more worried that Disney stories are what young impressionable girls are watching. Disney has been on a mission to fix their damage in recent years – Disney’s Frozen had Elsa openly question why her sister would want to marry a man after only knowing him a day. Cinderella is still unbearable sweet and kind and that must not be seen as oppression but as for the personality and charm it is. Cinderella speaks her mind when she meets Kit and has an opinion and I was like HALLELUJA. Her constant bowing to the prince at the ball had my eye twitching but I do acknowledge that feminism was allowed at least fifteen minutes of play time.

Cinderella couple

Cons:

The movie starts with a slow pace, picks up some speed and then slows again. It dragged a bit at the end and felt purposely drawn out.

When you are gifted Cate Blanchet and Helena Bonham Carter, you used them and don’t under utilise such talent.

The opening scenes with young Ella and her parents were very kitsch, forced, cheesy, over the top and unnecessary.

This movie is exactly what you expect. There is nothing new and original, no fresh take.

Cinderella didn’t really have all that wrong with it; it just lacked either of the two things that could have made it work: magic or originality.

April 7, 2015April 5, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: Cate Blanchet, Cinderella, Disney, Kenneth Branaugh, Lily James, Movies, Reviews, Richard Madden 8 Comments

Life lately, links and quotes, why I’m broke this month, some blog sites I love and the Versatile Blogger responses

Wow, lengthy title! I love doing these catch up posts – they are a nice way to tell everyone what is happening in my life, because I can never keep my mouth shut when something is happening to me! So here is a rundown of basically everything that is happening right now in my life. Enjoy!

Loving. My pretty couches, they make me really happy. My new job, because even though it is demanding it is so much less worries than my old job. The fact that Trevor Noah is the new host of the Daily Show, he’s hilarious, talented, hardworking and someone South-Africa can be proud of. The fact that it is April and in SA that means Public Holidays everywhere AND I get to see my bestie at the end of the month!
Smelling. Soweto. Not the best smells, but a girl needs to earn a living!
Writing.I have an idea for a story in my head that I want to try and get out. I haven’t actively attempted writing literature since a teenager so I am rather nervous about it. Trying to get all my blog posts out as soon as I’m done watching/reading because then it is much fresher.

Reading. The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes. It is odd but compelling. Although it isn’t Eleanor and Park, I am enjoying it. It is a mammoth book so I hope I can get it done by next week!
Watching. Mostly movies.Planning to do a little marathon one week soon. Keep those eyes peeled!
Craving. All things healthy. Bread has suddenly become the antichrist because it makes me feel sick. Want veggies and loads of it.
Obsessing.Life, getting assignments done and submitted, insane data usage (pretty sure my service provider is up to something illegal), the fact that Game of Thrones Season 5 is happening, sleeping early because I know it is important, getting time to relax, breathing more, getting into nature.
Wishing.That we won the Cricket World Cup. We are one of the best teams. Although the team really did do better and I’m hoping for the best next time.
Needing.More time to study and the motivation to do it.
Wanting.A GHD hair straightener and for my hair to grow again.Over the whole short do again.I want to do an updated list of my favorite books and movies – some new entries!
Trying.Nothing in particular, although getting my life in order counts. Nearly done with a scarf I have been crocheting for MONTHS AND MONTHS. Obviously not a hobby I will ever be obsessed about, but it is nice to do it once in a while.
Eating.Lots of salad because bread sucks right now.
Drinking.Coffee, water, Dry Lemon, Wine.

Why I’m broke this month:

The following movies are being released and I need to see them

The Fast and the Furious 7

Avengers: Age of Ultron!!!!

Cinderella

Versatile Blogger:

Thanks to Justine and Alex who nominated me for this. You two have wonderful blogs and I have such a great time reading it (To the other readers – get your ass in gear and go follow them).

I’m not passing the VB relay on to other bloggers, but I did think it would be nice to share 1) Ten things about me and 2) some really cool sites that you might want to check out.

Ten things about me:

My dog’s name is Nicky Noodle because she looks like a noodle. She’s the best thing in my life and I always think she’s a little cartoon character. She’s living with my sister now because my new place won’t take dogs, and I miss her so much I feel like I’ve lost an arm.

I am working full time and studying part time. I also get extremely dramatic during exam periods. Think wild eyes, scattered and incoherent sentences, mumbling, walking around with a trailing blanket. I truly go cray-cray during exams. I’m currently busy with some crazy ass assignments that is stressing me out about exams.

I consider Queen the ultimate band of all time but AC/DC is not too far behind them.

I am a news and general knowledge junkie. I am always on news sites and Buzzfeed and every possible site for random information you can imagine. I like little known facts and big political dramas. I get drawn into the hype and drama all the time and can discuss it for hours.

I hate South-African Taxis more than I can ever accurately state.

I have never been able to say for certain that THIS song is my favorite or THAT movie is the best movie out there. There are tons and tons of movies, songs and books I can listen to say that they are definitely some of my favorites.

I think napping is the answer to every problem out there.

My favorite spot in Johannesburg is Montecasino. The interior itself looks like I would imagine Hogsmead would look. It is stunning and seems very Romanesque. There are a ton of amazing restaurants and the most amazing bookshop on this planet – Skoobs. (Hint: It is a coffee shop and a bookshop = ADDICTIVE). I love spending time there and having fun. If you aren’t a casino person, that is fine as well – there’s a cinema and a place to tenpinbowl and like I mentioned before, amazing restaurants.