Sorry it's been so long since I last posted but I have been very busy with my final exams and celebratory post exam holidays! I thought I'd come back with a little tip on a show that doesn't seem to be getting much attention in Ireland at all, and that show is Veep.
I feel like Veep has been kind of overshadowed by Girls and even though I love Girls as much as anyone else I still think we need to give Veep a bit of our time! The show centers around fictional vice president of the USA Selina Meyer (played by the always wonderful Julia Louis-Dreyfus) it airs on HBO on Sunday nights. This of course means for us Irish that it airs on Monday mornings when we get out the laptop over breakfast and watch it online. Veep is seriously funny, when describing it to a friend she thought it sounded like a pretentious "smart" humor show but it couldn't be dumber in reality! Selina Meyer is the epitome of every stereotype ever made about female politicians and combined with her rag-tag band of loyal followers (Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale and Matt Walsh positively SHINE in this show) makes for one of the best all round casts I think we've seen in a long time!
I really can't recommend Veep enough, it's an excellent filler for off season TV and if you prefer to wait to avoid buffering issues, it will be showing on Sky Atlantic starting from June.
This is everywhere at the moment. A little boy in LA called Caine who loves loves loves arcades decided to set up his own homemade cardboard arcade in his dad's auto-part shop, resulting in extreme cuteness. Prepare for tears around the 3.45 mark.
Lesson learned? Never under estimate the power of hipsters.
Now don't get turned off but Sin Nombre is a Spanish language film directed by Cary Fukunaga. Yes that's right if you see this film you will have to read subtitles but honestly it is worth it! It was actually released in 2009 so this is a bit late but I have only recently fallen in love with Latin American film and I really regret all those years I spent bitching about subtitles because I was really missing out and you are too! Almost every scene of Sin Nombre is tragic,beautiful, exciting, romantic, heartbreaking and uplifting all at once, an art I find has only really be achieved in the cinema of Latin America.
The film is centers around Casper (played by the gorgeous Edgar Flores) a Mexican boy who is a member of the MS13 and growing resentful of gang life, and Sayra (Paulina Gaitán) a Honduran girl being forced to travel illegally with her estranged father and brother to the USA on the roof of a train. The two youths collide through a series of very unfortunate events and strike up an unlikely friendship. Both Casper and Sayra are desperately trying to take control of their own lives and face many adversities along their quest for independent identities.
The real draw of this film is the way it's made. It's very like Y Tu Mama Tambien or The Motorcycle Diaries in the sense that is it technically a road film but also it takes a very simple humanistic plot line and sets it against the backdrop of a continent in turmoil. Fukunaga has followed in the footsteps of Salles, Cuaron and many others before him and used the power of film to showcase South American problems to the world in a contemporary and entertaining fashion.
If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it and if you're interested in getting in to Latin American cinema heres a list of my favorite films from down south-believe me you won't regret it!
This is a collection of very cool photos depicting an array of movie villains in their old age. The project, created by Federico Chiesa is more or less the same kind of thing that always pops up on the internet every couple of months but I really like this one. Old age is pretty much the most vulnerable stage of most people's lives and looking at these freaks who have haunted us since childhood as harmless ol' folks is kind of soothing!
Plus the one of Vader is actually adorable look at his little hot water bottle ooojjoo!!
Ben and Jerry's, known for their delicious but overpriced ice cream have renamed their Oh! My! Apple! Pie! ice cream to Apple-y Ever After in support of gay marriage. So now instead of apples and a friendly caterpillar, the carton features two men on top of a wedding cake decorated with the Rainbow flag.
Very cute pic and the ice cream sounds really nice, I'd never heard of it before but mmm chunks of pie crust
My little sister Vicki is one of the finalists for the 2012 Junk Kouture fashion competition. She has spent hours creating this amazing ensemble called "The Candy Woman" out of... well, Junk.
She's going to be showing the outfit at the fashion show on Sunday but one of the categories to determine the winner is online voting so please vote for Vicki
Continuing with barmy fashion choices for men, here is the usually gorgeous and incredibly fashionable Marc Jacobs at Paris fashion week in a giant see through salmon pink polo shirt wearing yellow boxers and leprechaun shoes with socks.
I don't think there's anything else to say really.... except obviously that if this is what the summer trend is then I CAN'T WAIT
THESE my friends are tights for men, I kid you not.
Otherwise known as "mantyhose" "brosiery" or "guylons", the tights are designed by Emilio Cavallini who specializes in gaudy hosiery so yeh I think you know why you have probably never heard of him...
If you're interested in purchasing a pair of these skin tight wonders you can do so HERE for the bargain price of 18euro!
For fear of being called a fascist again by "Anonymous" I deleted my earlier post but I'll just leave up the most important part of my criticism of the Kony2012 campaign which is this:
This is pretty funny if you like Tarantino and you're mad for Shakespeare, its Pulp Fiction but done on stage and in the style of a Shakespearean play its quite old, in fact its actually from the 2009 Minnesota fringe festival but it has resurfaced as of late - don't really know why
This little gem is an advert for Chanel nail polish and in typical Chanel fashion it's no ordinary ad! It's actually from September of last year but I just saw it today and thought I had to post it up! I caught myself grinning at the screen a bunch of times over the course of the two minutes and I have no doubt that you will too! Have a watch there!
Obviously everything is made 10000000000 times better if you insert cats and these classic paintings are no exception! My only qualm is that these masterpieces are featured on the website sadanduseless.com which I don't understand because these are neither sad nor useless as you can clearly see:
I've been having difficulty lately trying to choose a film to watch. After the let down that was The Descendants, I have been reluctant to go and see any of the rest of the big films of the year so far which really is a shame because I love the cinema! The other day a friend asked me if I wanted to go and see Martha Marcy May Marlene and I agreed to go, partly to avoid working on my thesis but mostly it was because I had heard nothing about it. All of the hype surrounding The Descendants is probably why I thought it wasn't great so I figured this would be a nice change seen as I couldn't even remember the name of this film!! I couldn't be happier with my decision.
Martha Marcy May Marlene is definitely the best film I have seen this year, and one of the best I have seen in the last 10 years. First time writer-director Sean Durkin won the Directing award in Sundance last year for Martha Marcy and he really deserved it. I still can't believe its been completely over looked for the Acadamy Awards but anyway...The film is a psychological thriller about a girl who escapes from a cult and her attempt to settle back in to normal life, staying with her sister only 3 hours away from the farm where the cult is situated. The only other film about a cult that I have ever seen was a painfully boring video we were shown in school that was subconsciously meant to teach us how to recognize a cult and stay away from them. The idea was that we were to think we were just getting to watch a video instead of class, completely unaware that we were in a way being brainwashed! Needless to say, Martha Marcy is a far cry from that so called film.
The psychological thriller is a difficult genre to master but Durkin has hit the nail on the head here. To explain the title Elisabeth Olson plays Martha, a young girl who due to unexplained circumstances has wound up in a cult in upstate New York where she is renamed Marcy May by the leader Patrick (played by John Hawkes) and Marlene is the name all of the girls in the cult use when in contact with the outside world. The confusion between the names and personalities might seem unnecessary before seeing the film, but Durkin has expertly and purposefully confused the audience so that we almost feel every emotion, thought and fear that goes through Martha's head. Things she cannot remember are left unexplained, if she doesn't know what happened well then neither do we. The story is non-linear and sometimes we don't know where or when the things we are seeing have taken place but rather then being a direction mistake, this is to pull is further into Martha's mind. Although she has physically removed herself from the cult but mentally she doesn't seem to know where she most of the time; shifting between reality, dreams and flashbacks in a heart beat.
Martha Marcy May Marlene is on limited release only so if you can go and see it then definitely do. Its not for the faint-hearted as there are scenes of rape and violence and it's extremely disturbing but it is BRILLIANT
The Descendants was one of the films I was most excited to see this year. It has been nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor and I am predicting it wins each award, although undeservedly in my opinion. The film is technically good, which is my least favorite type of good. It hits all the marks, huge actor; beautiful though misunderstood setting; family drama; tears of a clown etc etc. George Clooney is good enough in the lead role but I don't think it's an Oscar worthy performance, I just don't!
The director Alexander Payne is best known for directing Election a brilliant comedy about a high school presidential election, least known for penning the script for Jurassic Park III the only Jurassic Park installment not to be directed by Stephen Spielberg i.e the shitty one. He has made an aesthetically enjoyable film. The dreary representation of Hawaii is a refreshing change and I think the setting is what saves the otherwise boring film. It moves extremely slowly, with the most interesting parts being sped up so fast that we miss them and are dumped back into another ten minutes of Hawaiian music over long shots of the landscape in the rain.
I felt there were a lot of holes in the script, holes that usually would go unnoticed but because of the hype surrounding The Descendants I was watching very carefully. The character of Troy appears only once early on, and I felt we were waiting for him to reappear for the remainder of the film, although small it was something I didn't forget about. The major mistake in this film though is in the older daughter Alexandra. She is good and enjoyable but she changes into a completely different character very quickly after her introduction. I understand that she is meant to have grown up but its done so recklessly that there is no transition period. She goes from a drunken mess of a teenage girl to a wonderful daughter in the time it takes to duck her head under the water. I think an opportunity was missed to really break down Alexandra and make her a into a deeper character, one that could be related to easier.
All in all, I'm glad I watched The Descendants just to say I have seen it but I would never watch it again for the simple fact that I don't like being bored to death and now that I know all of the (small) twists and turns that take place, I think it would be unbearable!
99.9% of the Shit Girls Say parodies are so unfunny it's painful. This one though, is so funny.
I'm waiting for another slew of shite parodies of this now featuring the likes of Robert Pattison or Arnold Schwarzenegger or something just....terrible
Right so, The nominations this year are actually quite boring and predictable. Usually awards season is my favorite time of year but 2011/12 has been pretty mediocre for films I have to say. There were obviously some good ones in there but mostly we've been struck with let downs or films we're forced to see for more then they are.
Best Picture: The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse No real surprises there. I haven't heard much about Extremely Loud yet so I can't say whether I think it's deserving of a nod, War Horse is one of the films I feel like I've been forced into thinking is good just because it's Spielberg, I'm really glad Midnight in Paris got a nod, it was one of my favorite films of the year and although it won't win, its still good it is being recognized as one of the best. Moneyball overrated, same with The Help. I guess The Descendants will take this one.
Best Director:Michel Hazanavicius, Alexander Payne, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Terrence Malick Unfortunately I have only seen The Tree of Life and Midnight in Paris so I can't really judge this one although I have a feeling it won't go to either Woody Allen or Terrence Malick!
Best Actor: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Jean Dujardin, Gary Oldman, Demián Bichir Again, haven't seen them all but I think everyone knows that this one belongs to George Clooney!
Best Actress: Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams, Glenn Close, Rooney Mara, Viola Davis I wish it wasn't so but I can imagine Meryl will take home Oscar number 3 this year. I wish it was lucky nomination number 8 for Glenn but it just won't be :(
Best Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branagh, Jonah Hill, Nick Nolte, Christopher Plummer, Max von Sydow I'd like this one to go to Nick Nolte, he was brilliant in Warrior, really brilliant. I think however, the Acadamy is trying to capitalize on the insane success of the new school of Hollywood comics and bringing Jonah Hill into the mix will attract a new market to the Oscars....
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa McCarthy, Jessica Chastain, Janet McTeer, Octavia Spencer, Bérénice Bejo Again with the comedy, Bridesmaids was indeed one of the best films of the year and just as it did when I saw Robert Downey Jnr nominated for Tropic Thunder in 2008, my jaw dropped to see Melissa McCarthy nominated this year. I think Octavia Spencer deserves this one hands down anyway and I would be appalled to see McCarthy take it home.
Best Original Screenplay:"The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius, "Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig, "Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor, "Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen, "A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi I'm hoping for Midnight in Paris but I think maybe The Artist? I like that Bridesmaids was nominated, writing good comedy is a true skill and I'm delighted for Wiig and Mumalo that they've been recognized but I don't think they'll win it this time.
Best Adapted Screenplay:"The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, "Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan, "The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon, "Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan Probably The Descendants again but maybe Ides of March or Moneyball (hope not)
Most of the other categories aren't of much interest to most people but I must say I was quite shocked not to see that the documentary We Were Here wasn't nominated. Even just watching the trailer (seriously watch it) made me sure it wouldn't just be nominated that it was a shoe in to win. I have to say its the biggest disappointment for me it's a very important story and would have really benefited from the exposure of being nominated.
Yahooo the new Nicki Minaj video is fiiiiiiiiiiiinally here I've been suffering Nicki withdrawals for over a year now since Pink Friday and was devi to hear that the release date of her follow up Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded has been pushed back but at least we have this video to keep us going! Even though I actually think her alter egos are a bit weird I really enjoy Roman shes gas so I'm confident this album is going to fab!
For a change, the artist Petite Tiaras has made a series of men's magazines featuring Disney princes rather then women's magazines featuring princesses....
Shame, is the second collaboration between Director Steve McQueen and actor Michael Fassbender after 2008's Hunger and it is brilliant. Shame tells the story of Brandon Sullivan, a sex addict living alone in New York City. Brandon seems to have his addiction under control, his co-workers suspect nothing, he has a routine, he is seemingly content. When his younger sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) arrives uninvited, his world is completely turned upside down.
There are some disturbing elements to the film, as is to be expected. It is a film about addiction, but unlike a drug addiction, Brandon's addiction is something people tend to be skeptical of, myself included! But Shame really tells the story of sex addiction in a way that allows us to understand it and to realize it does actually exist.
Fassbender is brilliant in this role but my only criticism is the minor detail included that he lived in Ireland as a child. I felt that was included because he could not quite master the American accent. He is one of my favorite actors at the moment but this is his second performance that he has failed to shake off his Kerry accent which is a pity as I can see it being something that may hold him back in the future.
Besides that, I would definitely recommend Shame. In a season I've found to be lacking in films that live up to their reputations, Shame is a must see. It's sad yet hopeful, tragic but funny at times. You will probably walk away from the theater feeling like you've done something bad and you won't want to look anyone you watched it with in the eye for an hour or so but besides that you'll have a great time!
Also Michael Fassbender does full frontal....a lot.
Last night my gorgeous little kitten Harley died, we aren't sure what happened to him exactly but we think he got hit in the head and crawled into a bush to hide afterwards but didn't survive. He was a happy kitten and loved being outside and exploring. I'm sad he's gone but I'm happy that we were able to save him from never having any sort of a life and give him a loving home for the first and last 6 months of his life :)
Young Adult directed by Jason Reitman and penned by Diablo Cody, stars Charlize Theron as a writer of young adult fiction. Having been living the high life off in Minneapolis, Mavis Gary is now divorced, childless and about to finish the last novel in her washed up series. She returns to her hometown of Mercury in order to pursue her highschool boyfriend Buddy, played by Patrick Wilson. Comedy ensues, blah blah blah, she makes a fool of herself, blah blah blah, learns a life lesson blah.
Young Adult has received countless positive reviews and a lot of Oscar buzz. Many websites and blogs are predicting nominations for best original screenplay for Cody, best actress for Theron and even a best supporting actor for Patton Oswalt (yes, Spencer from King of Queens). I just cannot for the life of me understand why! I found the film to be painfully predictable, the narrative was slow and boring, it didn't captivate me at all. I think had Mavis been played a little more insane rather then just a bit drunk it may have been more believable, the deadpan thing doesn't quite work here as far as I'm concerned!
It was OK for maybe a random film to stick on the TV if there's really nothing else on. It does have potential, it's undeniably an interesting premise but it was executed in the wrong way and ended up falling flat on its face. Diablo Cody hasn't lived up to most people's expectations since Juno which I'm beginning to think wasn't clever writing as we previously thought but simply brilliant actors doing what they do best. I was also disappointed in Jason Reitman who not only directed Juno but also one of my all time favorite films Thank You For Smoking and one of 2011's most critically acclaimed pictures Up in the Air. These films were clever, witty and sharp. For me, Young Adult was none of these, it was a disappointment as I had been looking forward to seeing it ever since I first heard about it! Check out the trailer above anyway and make your own decision!
Yesterday I received my FREE iPod nano from Apple in the post and it's great! All I had to do was send them my old nano that I haven't used in about 3 years and I got this shiny new one! Apparently the old ones are in danger of exploding but I suspect a publicity stunt (although a poorly executed one...)
So if you have an iPod that looks like this beauty here
Type in your serial number on the Apple Website and you could be this beauty here!!
These SOPA protests have ruined my day off college. Not only could I not fall back on Wikipedia to help me understand the weird films I have to watch for my dissertation, I couldn't make my procrastination time useful! Reddit, Huffington Post and StumbleUpon were also among the many sites that went down in order to protest the proposed acts which has made the internet a slow and painfully boring place for a whole 24 hours!
My problem is this. I don't live in America, why must I be punished? Why do I have to suffer when from what I can tell this has nothing to do with us! Although I could easily be wrong because before yesterday I had never even heard of this lark. I think rather then throw a hissy fit and spending time creating a site to tell you there is no site, they could have spent a bit of time explaining it all to us properly and over a longer period of time...
My problem is also this. I want to find out the origins of the song Auld Lang Syne after today's episode of 90210....
Anyway if you press esc before the page fully loads on Wikipedia you can view your unreliable article without being bothered :)
These are, as the title said, Unicorn poop cookies. They look DELICIOUS but vile at the same time.... Apparently she was going to make "Unicorn Sneezes" but decided on making unicorn shits instead! Recipe and lots of pictures and even a video HERE
Oh and here's an action shot so you can really get that this is supposed to be a pretend animal shit made of rainbows and glitter
I saw this and initially thought it was a joke or a little cartoon or something, its not apparently.
Its a map of a woman's heart from a book called "The Mirror of True Womanhood: A Book of Instruction for Women in the World" written by Bernard O'Reilly in 1883. I especially like "The Land of Selfishness" there in the right ventricle....
Critical theory is the most painful aspect of my disaster of a degree. I am sick to death of Marxism, Psychoanalytical theory, Barthes and all the rest of the eejits I have to study.
However feminist theory has been given a new lease of life through THIS wonderful website! These are a few of my favorites
I've been extremely busy over the last month so I haven't been able to blog at all. Not busy enjoying my Christmas holidays though thanks to IADT and their inhumane January 3rd exams!
It was a slowish Christmas, I didn't have any presents I wanted in mind so I woke up to some nice little surprises on Christmas morning. I got lots of bits and bobs but this is definitely THE best present I got
It's a map that you scratch out all of the places you've been!
It was great fun scratching out all the countries I've been to in the last few years on my travels. Although I know I've been so fortunate to visit all the places I've been it actually made me realise how little of the world I have seen in comparison to how big it is! I have a major itch to get out of Ireland again now!!
