Movie Review: Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Plot: Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice?

Continuing on my slightly unhealthy craze of Pride and Prejudice and all things Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet related, I had to watch this 2005 adaption again. I can’t find a review for it anywhere on my blog, and I know I’ve seen it before – is it possible that I did it pre-blog? I’ll never know!

I had a great time. I remember enjoying it the first time but not really appreciating the ending back then – I think I didn’t get at that stage just how British this story is and how perfect that ending was.

There are a number of changes made, but it was organic– I didn’t feel that it deducted from the story at all. The changes made were done to fit the span of the book into a movie, so a lot of information and pivotal scenes were ignored. As I said it didn’t damage the film much, but the book certainly provides a more comprehensive scope of Darcy’s character and the change Elizabeth was able to inspire in him.

Matthew MacFadyen is truly a perfect Darcy. He is a wonderful actor, truly being able to convey emotions without saying too much. He is perfectly British and his contained atmosphere and telling outbursts as Mr. Darcy is spot on.

My love/hate relationship with Keira Knightley seems set to continue. The way she has of pulling her mouth frustrates me to no end. But, as I listed here, the fact that she has an annoying mouth does not derive from the fact that she is an accomplished actress. Ms. Bennet is as challenging to a female lead as Mr. Darcy is to a male lead – complex, intelligent characters with the weight of being a beloved classic weighing them down. She manages her role admirably and is a delight as Ms. Bennet, and has sufficient and delightful levels of impertinence that made me love her all the more.

Rosamund Pike as Jane Bennet was a choice that I was not that all that pleased with, but she did her best. There was a desperation to her impression of Jane that I did not enjoy – Jane is shy and sweet natured and a bit too believing in the best of others, but she isn’t a desperate woman. Jenna Malone as Lydia Bennet was a perfect choice – Lydia is really the worst thing, she is a flirting little girl with no sense or morals or particular care for her family. It takes a strong actress to bring that particular disregard to family and tradition to life, and the callousness with which Lydia does it as well. Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet properly emanates that exhaustion Mr.Bennetmust feel from a lifetime with the skittish and irritating Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) – who can’t but help being such an annoying person. I wish I could have seen more of Rupert Friend as Mr. Wickham – he was good on screen but not particularly often on it, which is frustrating as Mr. Wickham is quite important to the events that unfold. I wish I liked Simon Woods as Charles Bingley – he was just too ginger for my idea as Bingley. I did like Kelly Reilly as Caroline Bingley – she was as snobbish and backhanded and mean spirited as her character requires.

I felt similarly in the book – a need to rush through and to get to the end to know everything, but the pacing was slow and careful and makes you subsequently pay a lot more attention. The British countryside is beautiful despite the depressing weather, and the director managed to capture it and incorporate it into this very British movie.

The ending of the film is different to the book only in execution, with the phrases altered slightly but still much the same. It is powerful and touching, and the chemistry between Knightley and MacFayden is through the roof at that very moment. I’ve seen the extended version and the normal version, and the extended is a lot more true to what happens in the book.

I enjoyed this adaption so much. It is a great cast, it is well paced and despite missing some key events it still tells what it needs to tell. Watching this soon again is inevitable. An 8.5/10 for me.

 

June 7, 2017June 14, 2017 by Natasha Categories: Movies, movies, Review, Reviews, RomanceTags: Beautiful, Brenda Blethyn, Carey Mulligan, classic, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Bennet, English, feminism, Jane Austen, Jena Malone, Judi Dench, Keira Knightley, Kelly Reilly, literature, Love, Matthew MacFayden, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Charles Bingley, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mrs. Bennet, Romance, Rosamund Pike, Rupert Friend, Talulah Riley, Tamzin Merchant, Tom Hollander 11 Comments

Watched, Read, Loved: January 2017

I’m not going to bless you with that whole “how quick did this month go” crap, because let’s face it; January 2017 took its sweet time being done. At this stage I’m so deliberately avoiding bitching about politics on here, but please note that I do a whole lot of bitching in private about that man who is committing genocide.

I had my birthday on the 25^th. I am now officially on the wrong side of 25. I’m 27, so I’ve already been on the wrong side for a whole year, but I was ignoring that at 26. Apart from suddenly stressing about retirement plans and the meaning of my entire existence, I’m not too stressed. I have decided that 27 good things WILL happen to me this year, so I will keep you in the loop.

Here is what I got up to this month, which is an impressive amount! #GoMe

Movies watched:

10 Things I hate about you:

Confession time: if I had to go live on an island indefinitely with only ten movies to watch, I’d very likely pack 10 Things I Hate About You in.  I love everything about this film – how 90’s everything is: Julia Stiles’ hair, the clothes everyone wore, the music and the cars. I die every time Heath Ledger gifts us with that smile; it is equal parts pain and pleasure. The quick bantering and the ridiculous teenage humor make me laugh every single time. I actually wrote a post about how much I love this film, so I won’t turn it into a whole review here, but I’m sure you are getting the point here that I love this film.

How to lose a guy in ten days: Kate Hudson used to be my ultimate girl crush as a teenager – she’s so pretty and preppy and blonde. I’m now at a point where I want actresses to be more than pretty, preppy and blonde, but I still find her a good romantic comedy lead. She wouldn’t hold up in more serious roles, but these? I’ll cast her any day. It also contains the delicious Matthew M.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962): I finally managed to finish up my Blindspots for 2016. To round the year of with To Kill A Mockingbird was a great idea – what an incredible film.

Passengers (2017): These films with the strange release dates make it impossible to put them in the correct year. I watched in this year, hence this year will be referenced. I actually really liked it and think that the Oscar nod for set design is well deserved. I know it didn’t go down well with everybody, but I actually quite enjoyed it despite the numerous flaws.

Fool’s Gold (2008): This falls in the time frame where Matthew McConaughey became the romantic comedy guy, something which still grates on a lot of people today. I do think that Fool’s Gold lacks certain important things like a proper plot, but I didn’t hate it at all.

Scream 4: I finished up my run on the Scream franchise this month. I am so sad! Because while I can definitely watch it again, I won’t ever be able to watch it for the first time again. I’m only posting this for Halloween, because I’d love to actually do a Halloween month this year, but please know that I did love this so much!

Sicario (2015): Don’t you just love when a film is good enough to inspire you to read up on what you are watching? Shortly after the film ended I read up all about Juarez, Mexico, and the increasingly dodgy sounding CIA. Sicario is a great film that stays with you after you watched it and I will definitely be revisiting Denis Vileneuve’s film in the near future.

The Princess Diaries:A Royal Engagement (2004): I remember this as a decent movie, which it was NOT. I adore the first Princess Diaries, but the sequel suffers from the sequelitis and it is rampant with bad acting, bad pacing and general badness. The years have been kind to Chris Pine – he is so much more attractive right now than he was in 2004.

Love, Rosie (2014): I’m still trying to formulate some thoughts on Love, Rosie. Did I like it? Moderately so. I know for a fact that it contains some of the most awkward of scenes ever invented, and I was horrified and cringed so much. It gets a little drawn out and the story is never really strong. I do think that Sam Claflin is simply beautiful and that if just smiled all the time the world would be a better place.

Vrou Soek Boer (2014): I got my fix of Afrikaans films with Vrou Soek Boer in January. It translates to “A woman is looking for a farmer” but it was a much cuter film than that translation suggested. I enjoyed it very much!

Sisters (2016): This is surely the biggest waste of cash of 2016 for me. I bought this on DVD, sure I would at least like it okay. Nope. I hated it. What a stupid, unfunny film.

The Accountant (2016): To embrace my mood of needing to watch people beat up things I picked up the Accountant. Ben Affleck’s hit of 2016, where he is an autistic superhero, fulfilled that need on some level but I was also left feeling vaguely unsatisfied with the ending.

Series:

The X-Files Season 1: I am having so much fun with the X-files. There is nothing better when you discover a series and along with the discovery is the fact that there are so many seasons with a lot of episodes per season. SCORE! It took me a few episodes to get used to the layout of the show as well as the whole 1992 vibe the first season has going for it. It is pretty good and smart, as well as some funny conspiracy moments going on.

Alias Season 3: Alias has been great to me. I still need to finish Seasons four and five. I had some issues with the third season such as Sydney being a complete psycho, but overall still really great.

True Blood Season 1: I’ve been in the mood torewatch this for a while now. After watching a few episodes that need was cured because True Blood has some grating characters in that I somehow softened in my memory. I might still finish it, but right now there are other better shows that deserve attention.

Books:

The Collaborator (Margaret Leroy): Few books have stayed with me like this book has. I’ve had the worst book hangover since then and such troubles finding another book to seek my teeth into.

The Road to the Sea (Ciara Hegarthy): I’m going to go rampant on this book when I finally review it. Overly descriptive and insanely boring, this is one of the least favorite novels I’ve picked up in a while.

The Power of Six (Pittacus Lore): I’m almost done with Book Two in the Lorien Legacies. Although I am still enjoying, the first read and progressed a whole lot better.

What have you been up to?

February 7, 2017February 7, 2017 by Natasha Categories: 2017, Movies, reading, Review, Series, UncategorizedTags: 10 Things I hate about you, 2017, Alias, Amy Poehler, Anna Kendrick, Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Benico Del Toro, Bok Van Blerk, Chris Pine, Chris Pratt, Ciara Hegarthy, Emily Blunt, Fool's Gold, How to Lose A Guy In Ten Days, January, Jennifer Lawrence, JK Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Josh Brolin, Kate Hudson, Lika Berning, Lily Collins, Love, Love Rosie, Margaret Leroy, Matthew McConaughey, monthly rundowns, Nico Panagio, Passengers, Pittacus Lore, Sam Claflin, Sicario, Sisters, The Accountant, The Collaborator, The Power of Six, The Princess Diaries, The Road to The Sea, The X-files, Tina Fey, To Kill a Mockingbird, True Blood 11 Comments

You’ve been Tinderised

For as long as the earth has been revolving on its’ axis, human beings have been concerned with the survival of their species. Make fire, hunt for food, breathe in oxygen, and find someone to reproduce offspring with. As centuries have gone by we have refined how we do it, but we are still trying to achieve the same goals as our cave dwelling ancestors were. It might have become a bit classier (OR HAS IT?) but at the end of the day the hunt remains the same.

Men have thankfully changed their tactic from dragging females, or whichever gender they prefer, by the hair to the caves to sending text messages. I’m not sure but I think it might be an improvement. I honestly sometimes wonder if men were as crude in handwritten letters as they are in text messages?(Guys, don’t comment at the end of this with the usual “that is an unfair generalization” in the tone of a two year old – just replace “man” with “woman” whenever you want to).

The dating scene has changed radically. The way we approach each other is so different. It is sad, because old school courting has a certain level of appeal than meeting up in a club simply does not possess. Sure, females are more enlightened (YES and IMPORTANT) but it really feels like the men have just given up – and yes, I can predict the amount of flak I’m going to get for some of the things I’m bitching about in here.

To make things easier, modern humans are able to do online dating. The stigma that has always been associated with it is gone, people freely share their stories and are only too happy to tell you if they’ve met their partner through a dating site, clearly implying that you might also be just as lucky to meet someone.

Here is what they don’t tell you. They tell you that it is completely okay to be on a dating website, and it is, but they omit how incredibly awkward things can get. It is a weird business, this online dating.

I’ve been on Tinder for a couple of months now and I’m still a bit freaked by it all. Tinder is a pretty decent site from what I’ve been told of other sites. Let’s just say that makes me worry about the other sites.

The Tinder rules are easy – aswipe to the left is a no and a swipe to the right is yes. Very simple. But not so simple. Are you being too picky? Are you being not picky enough? What’s the benchmark? I usually swipe right if I know I’ll check you out in real life too. Because call me superficial, but physical attraction is a real thing and it needs to be factored in.

The categories of the Tinder men:

• The pervert. Yes. Let’s start with you. You first start your messages with “Hey Sexy”. I bet it took you fifty years to think of that one. You then proceed to be overly sexual and disgusting. Is a bit of decency too much to ask? Where is your mother? Does she know what you say to women? You usually then proceed to go all John Wayne Gacey and I’m convinced you are standing outside my window, happily stroking… your moustache. I swear if I hear the question “What do you wear under a lab coat?” one more time, I might get an aneurysm. What do you think? That I’m nude? Bitch, I’m layering as much as clothes possible between me and resistant bacterial strains. And Mr. Sandton, thank you for texting me “DTF?, I’m at the Hilton”, because I Googled that shit and I now even know what DTF means.
• Mr. Aggressive. Clearly someone kept all the wrong things from the Neanderthal because you still think that women like being “threatened”. If you say “you will listen to me”; “you MUST talk to me” and “so you think you can ignore me” before we’ve even met, brother, you done.
• I’m so damaged: Oh this one has either been hurt by a girl, his family or his coworkers, but the need for a mother figure is very strong in his life.
• The “I’m actually really really cool” guy with sunglasses in most of his pictures. If you so cool, why are you still single?
• Mr. Desperado We are all looking for someone here, but don’t do WHAT DO YOU WANT IN A MAN or WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM TINDER in .45 seconds from our first contact. Also, don’t even try “I love you” when we haven’t even met. What is WRONG with you?
• The one with the cheesy status:Literally saw this one: “I was watching an ad the other day of a couple and realized that is what I want for me” WTFFFFF
• THE ONE WHO IS IN A RELATIONSHIP What the ever loving fuck is wrong with you?!?!?!!?

So, is it even worth it?

I really think it is. Despite the 50 totally useless scumbags, there are a few guys that appear relatively decent. Some of the guys I’ve been speaking to for a while has impressed me because I really thought that some of them were duds and they proved me wrong. Not everyone you are sure you will like will be likeable but not everyone that you thought would suck will turn out sucky. The point is, you have to try. If you are like me and not a social butterfly in large crowds, you need an avenue where you can let people see who you are without having to actual talking. It takes some courage and a lot of sense, but you can do it.

What Tinder has taught me:

It is okay to have rules and boundaries. Why are women conditioned in society to automatically doubt their sixth sense about creeps? I’ve realized that if he sounds creepy, walk away, because he probably really is creepy.

You can say no. Repeat after me: “NO”. There we go!

It can be soothing on a really superficial level. SIXTY men liked my profile in the last hour? GO ME, GO ME, GO ME.

I can stand up for myself. This surprised me. I will share the full story at a later stage, but this one incident of declaring that no-one treats me in a certain way was one of the best moments in my entire life.

Some rules:

If you like the person, move them over to Whatsapp. It is much easier to talk to people there.

Trust your intuition. Believe me, it’s rarely wrong. If the guy seems off, he usually is.

However, don’t be overly paranoid. Tinder is based on Facebook profiles and while I don’t claim that Facebook only has respectable users, it does add a bit of authenticity. But like I said, use that very powerful gut feeling on when to walk away and when to stay and take a chance.

There will be a lot of failed conversations, ignored messages, inappropriate content. Just remember your barriers and keep your chin up. Believe me, there will always be some other guy.

Eventually you must meet in person. Because virtual relationships aren’t real, so go out, meet the guy, be awkward and learn how to go on dates. That is the whole point of things, isn’t it?

Some tips:

Be yourself. No use pretending, ensnaring the man with your imaginary wiles and then you aren’t the cool chick you pretended to be.

Make conversation, not polite howdy do’s. Be your fun loving self and be honest. Volunteer information and keep the conversation ongoing. Check for mutual likes or dislikes and figure out what you have in common. Lately I don’t even enter the “Hey, WUD” stuff, because 1) if you can’t type out What Are You Doing you obviously don’t have the time to talk to me and 2) I’d much rather prefer to talk to someone that makes me laugh with an obviously designed pickup line. Duh.

So give me some feedback here below! I would love to hear if you’ve been on Tinder and what your opinion is on it.

June 29, 2016June 26, 2016 by Natasha Categories: 2016, Life, Life Lately, Thoughts, UncategorizedTags: Dating, Drama, Love, online dating, opinions, Romance, stalkers, Thoughts, Tinder, what the fuck 10 Comments

Book Review: Captivated Nora Roberts)

Plot: Nash Kirkland doesn’t believe in magic. But when he hires self-proclaimed witch Morgana Donovan as a great ‘resource’ for his new supernatural film, he suddenly finds himself falling under her spell. Nash has never trusted his feelings, but the alluring Morgana has released an irresistible passion in the usually cool-headed screenwriter. The question is – are those feelings real, or are they just some conjurer’s trick?

Morgana has her own doubts – despite her strong feelings for Nash. She can understand his skepticism about her powers. But can an ordinary man really handle falling in love with a rather extraordinary woman?

Rating: 5.5/10

Even though I read Captivated last, it is a miracle that I did so. I would never have progressed to Charmed, Enchanted or Entranced if I had started with the first in the series.

Captivated had absolutely no charm and bored me. I was so excited to get to the only remaining book in the series because even though they were cheesy, the previous three had worked quite well.

Nash Kirkland and his infatuation/disbelief with Morgana got boring quickly. It always irritates me when they bring the”did she cast a spell on me” route in ANY book, let alone one where witches are involved. Guys, it is mostly just your glands talking, I really doubt she bewitched you – who has time nowadays for bewitching?

I wish I enjoyed it more – the story spun out for ages and when it ended with the incessantly used story line of a baby and a happy ending, I gave up – absolutely no redeeming powers for the book. Meh.

October 13, 2015October 11, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Books, Review, ReviewsTags: Books, Donovan, Donovan Legacy, Love, Magic, Morgana Donovan, Nash Kirkland, Nora Roberts, Reading, Reviews, Romance 1 Comment

Love/Hate Tag

I was nominated by the mastermind between My Tiny Obsessions for this interesting challenge, and naturally I jumped right in! I’m not going to specifically nominate, but if you read this and you want to take part, please please do! 😀

10 Things I Love:

Knowledge. To me there is no other thing as powerful as someone armed with good information. I get so ridiculously excited when I read about interesting things. I used to be such a news junkie (I stopped that and you can read WHY here) but I remain a general know-it-all (and probably a bit of a pain in the ass because of it).

Books: It is probably a result of my thirst for knowledge, but man do I enjoy a good book.

Taking people on about sexism: I often think that sexist remarks delivered unconsciously is much worse than the remarks made as a deliberate attack on someone. I love pointing them out because men really do need to made aware that they are furthering the sexist environment that women are so desperately trying to get free from.

Coffee: Otherwise known as my bloodtype

Love stories: They are by far my favorite genre. I enjoy many movies across the genre board, but movies about love conquering immense odds remains the best thing to watch.

My blog: It makes me so happy. It has gone much bigger than I would ever have thought possible and I just get such immense joy from it.

My dog: She is such a little cartoon and provides endless entertainment by her dramatic nature.

My family: We are going through a rather rough time right now with my dad being so ill, but I am so fortunate to have such a loving family.

Snuggling in with a good book on a rainy day: It has been WAY too long since I’ve done this, but there is nothing better than just listening to the rain patter on the roof while you lose yourself in a story.

Dan Stevens: Current mancrush extraordinaire

10 Things I hate: 

Anti-Vaxxers. Kill me. Now.

People who don’t appreciate hard work.

People who are rude to waiters.

Traffic.

Bad Signal.

My laptop. I desperately need it to work – hallo, who has money for a new one? But sheesh I just want to throw it out of the window and be done with it.

People who are full of spoilers. GRRRRR.

Sexism and Racism

Intolerance to other religions

The Petrol price. WTF world?!

June 12, 2015June 7, 2015 by Natasha Categories: GeneralTags: Anti-Vaxxers, Books, Coffee, Friday, fun, Hate, Knowledge, Love, racism, Religion, sexism 15 Comments

Blindspot 2015: The Godfather Part II (1974)

“There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

Plot: The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-revolution 1958 Cuba.

Rating: 9.5/10

I rated this one exactly the same as I did the first one, although I have to confess that I liked the first one just a bit more. The second film is really really good, but it took just a few seconds longer to really start running. I thought it was brilliant to provide some insight into Vito Corleone’s past that had made him the man he was at the time of his death. Robert de Niro did a beautiful job as young Vito – he had that same quiet quality to him that Marlon Brando had displayed in part one. Al Pacino was again my main man Michael – he did a great job with such a fascinating character and was utterly convincing yet again. Even though there is no way that he is above board, I rooted for him all the way through. His wife, played by Diane Keaton, turned so reprehensible at the end and I was furious about all her baby-killing antics. Robert Duvall was again one of my favourite characters with his cool head and loyalty to the people that raised him.

The change between the story of Vito and the story of Michael was done really well. I thought both were of extreme significance because it also highlights the love Vito had for Michael and the dynamics that shaped both of them. It also highlights the similarities between father and son and that Michael would always firstly believe in protecting his family and being the head of the family.

The best thing about these two movies is that three hours rush by and you barely notice that it is happening. I thought the scenes were extremely well laid out and progressed beautifully into each other. The score is also really well done, and I even liked the horrendous yellow couches in Michael’s home.

These two movies have definitely been the best of my Blindspot series so far 😀

May 13, 2015August 11, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: 2015, Al Pacino, awesome movies, Blindspot, Diane Keaton, Love, Michael Corleone, mob, mobsters, Robert DeNiro, Robert Duvall, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Vito Corleone 7 Comments

Quotes for the week

We had this epic discussion at work today about religion, culture, South-Africans and how everything intermixes, especially in relationships. I have always been the type of person who lets people believe what they want to believe, love who they want to love, and be who they want to be. I find it highly obnoxious and really a bit hysterically funny that people try to force their opinions on others. However, I still think that bigoted, racist and idiotic people should be left to their beliefs, because as it is my right to be open minded it is their right to be close minded, as long as they don’t violate any other person’s human rights while they are busy with their strange ways. So this (very late) Friday Night post is some quotes that I found really applicable to the conversation that was had.

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August 8, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Quotes, UncategorizedTags: Accepting Others, Love, Peace, Qutoes, ramblings 1 Comment

5 Things Friday: Five romantic movies you have to watch

Happy Friday!

While you are reading this, I am probably running around like a headless chicken – my sister is getting married tomorrow. Many congratulations, sister and very-soon brother-in-law! May you have happiness and love in abundance for the rest of your lives. I am so proud of both of you.

Here is my installment of Five things Friday, and keeping with the theme of lurrrvee, Five Favorite Romantic movies I love and think you should watch.

Movie One: Crazy, Stupid Love

Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling star in this movie. Usually star studded films can steer horribly wrong, but I really liked this one. It had a few surprising twists and turns, and managed to be both funny and serious at times.

Movie Two: Dirty Dancing

Patrick Swayze dancing. ‘nuff said.

Movie Three: Letters to Juliet

I think this movie is seriously underrated. Amanda Seyfried is one of my favorite actresses (it may be because she is one of the only young Hollywood stars not acting out right now) and she is wonderful in this touching romantic film about finding lost love, and how you can achieve something if you never stop believing.

Movie Four: 10 Things I hate about you

This movie is one of my all-time favorites. Heath Ledger as a teen? It is hilarious to see 90’s high school kids as well.

Movie 5: PS I love you

Prepare the tissues. I cry every single time when I watch it. Maybe it is only because Gerard Butler dies. But it is still excruciatingly sad.

September 20, 2013September 17, 2013 by Natasha Categories: Five Things Friday, MoviesTags: 10 Things I hate about you, 5 Things Friday, Amanda Seyfried, Dirty Dancing, Emma Stone, Gerard Butler, Heath Ledger, Hilary Swank, Julianne Moore, Love, Movies, Patrick Swayze, PS I love you, Romantic, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Stupid Crazy Love, wedding 1 Comment