Lady K's Big Birthday Bonanza

My last personal blog left you all on a bit of a cliffhanger didn't it? For that I apologise but I didn't want to go on all night about my highly exciting social life and make you all jealous! I am of course kidding! I didn't want to bore you more like. But as I had already planned to write these particular personal blogs you'll just have to endure the boredom, or not read them and watch some paint dry instead! ;0P

So, where was I? Ah yes, the beginning of my birthday weekend. Which actually sort of lasted about 10 days. But then it was a big birthday. My 30th to be precise. Which is sort of depressing if I linger on it so let's not. Let's talk instead of my best friend of the north coming down to stay with me and bringing her step daughter and a close friend of ours with her. As the step daughter and friend had not been to Brighton before we had to make the most of our limited time and do as many fun things as possible.

The show we decided to see was Wicked, literally. I had seen it before, but around 5 years ago, and the other girls had never seen it and all wanted to. I remembered liking it first time around and thought it was just as Wicked this time. It had me singing along to 'Popular' (which is still in my head now) and 'Defying Gravity' for weeks to come. After the train ride back to Brighton, I took the girls on a brief tour around my flat as they'd never seen it before. It was a very brief tour as my flat only has 4 rooms, but they all seemed to like the flat which was a relief as I'd been cleaning it for weeks in anticipation of their arrival! 

Then we walked through the Pavillion Gardens and on to the Pier where we stopped for a drink, had a play on the games and posed for some silly photos, as you do.

From there we headed home for a quick change and then did something I've wanted to do for the last 6 years of living in Brighton, but never had done. We went on the Ghost Walk of the Lanes http://www.ghostwalkbrighton.co.uk/. 

It was as fabulously kitsch and over acted as I'd thought it would be, with only the slightest hint of fact thrown in for good measure. The only downside to the walk was that it was a typical Brighton summers evening, meaning it was windy as hell and bloody freezing. But lots of fun. As you can see...

At the end of the walk we made a quick dash to Charles Street for a slice of the gay club scene. A great night was had by all, perhaps with the acception of my bff's step daughter who seemed to think there would be plenty of nice men for her in the club. She didn't seem to understand that the men in gay clubs wouldn't be looking for a nice girl to take home! A fun night nonetheless. 

The next day brought much sunshine and the invitation to a BBQ hosted by my cinema buddy. We quickly headed into town for a last minute look around the north lanes as we'd not had time to have a proper look around the day before. I took the girls to Shake-Away for a milkshake and Cyber Candy for some american style sweets, and then we headed to the BBQ. The weather held all day until it was eventually time to take the girls back to Brighton station to board their trains home. It was a sad farewell but I hope they'll be back soon!

My birthday week continued with my actual birthday falling on the Tuesday after my friends had gone home. One friend made me home made bread and a lemon drizzle cake (you know who you are and how fabulous everything you make is!), another friend got me 31 birthday cards (just to throw me off the scent) and one of my work friends made me these bad boys...

And let me tell you, they were as good as they looked! And yes, that is my future husband sitting on top looking up adoringly at me. Err, sorry, lost my train of thought there...Jake cakes have a way of doing that to me! ;0P

Where was I? Ah yes, my birthday, apart from having to go into work on the morning of my birthday (boooooooooo), I went for a birthday cupcake with my best friend of the south, to my favourite cupcake shop in the laines (they put a 30th candle on my cake at the request of my friend!) and then had a birthday movie double bill of Cars 2 and Horrible Bosses (reviews for which are on the other blog). So another jam packed day was had there. 

I barely had time to recover from my busy birthday week when Thursday was fast approaching. The day my brother was arriving for his weekend in Brighton. But yet again I have rambled for too long and must pick up my Big Brother's Brighton Adventure another time.

*Special thanks to Damian Whelan for the use of his funky picture '30' as my headline photo for this blog.*

The next day we decided the only thing to do was be a tourist. So I took the girls on a walking tour of Brighton. We did some shopping, had lunch at the delicious Foodilic, walked through both the south laines, I showed the girls the Banksy which is currently still on the side of the Prince Albert Pub.

We decided that as the girls would be arriving by train, and would need to swap trains in London, that we should see a show on the day they arrived. We didn't want them to just pass through London without seeing a bit of London and doing something while we were there. I suggested we have something to eat at my favourite London diner, Ed's, and then take in a show. When we'd taken our seats in the diner

we realised we were eating in front of PG Tips funny man Johnny Vegas who was sitting at the table behind us. So dinner turned out to be a fun little adventure of it's own.

The Art Of Getting By

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/theartofgettingby/

I first found out about The Art Of Getting By when I read about it in the Cineworld magazine. Notoriously biased towards every film it features, I always take what I read in there with a pinch of salt. But as I like the people involved in the film it was enough to pique my interest. Don't get me wrong, I don't own any Emma Robers movies, I wouldn't go that far, but I have enjoyed previous performances from both Roberts and her co-star Freddie Highmore. And teamed with an interesting premise it had potential. Enough to make me see the film without seeing so much as a trailer.

*Synopsis contains some spoilers*

The film tells the story of George (Freddie Highmore), a teenager in his last year of high school who for all his smarts, just can't do the work. He claims this is because he's depressed but his teachers just think he's lazy. Then George meets Sally (Emma Roberts), a girl who can see from his point of view but who also shows him the light. They're "just friends" though it's clear George would like there to be something more between them. Sally on the other hand, likes what they have as friends and is clearly not interested in taking things to the next level. She makes this clear to George by dating his mentor Dustin (Michael Angarano). Just when George thinks life can't get any worse he's told to make up a years worth of homework or he won't graduate. The snag is that graduation is a mere 3 weeks away.

I don't generally like giving that much away in a synopsis, but so little happens in The Art Of Getting By that it's hard to describe the film without telling you everything that happens. That's not to say I gave everything away, or that the fact that this is a slow burner is a bad thing. Everything moves so fast these days that sometimes it's nice to just sit in a cinema on a cold and damp Sunday afternoon and mull things over. Things like the meaning of life and death, unrequited love and betrayal. 

My problem with The Art Of Getting By is that it feels like an amalgamation of a lot of other films I've already seen. And films which ultimately handled the subject matter in a better way. My example would be another Emma Roberts movie that I saw earlier this year, It's Kind Of A Funny Story. I think that handled the subject matter of teenagers dealing with real life issues such as depression in a much more real (and funnier) way. 

As I said, it's not to say that The Art Of Getting By is a bad film, it is a well made film which showcases good performances from the two young leads, as well as a solid supporting cast. It's just not great. It's not life changing. And it probably won't stay with you for very long after you've left the cinema. 

A disappointingly average 6 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 4th September 2011

UK Release Date - 2nd September 2011

Cast Overview:

Freddie Highmore ~ George

Emma Roberts ~ Sally

Sasha Spielberg ~ Zoe

Marcus Carl Franklin ~ Will

Blair Underwood ~ Principle Martinson

Rita Wilson ~ Vivian (George's mother)

Elizabeth Reaser ~ Charlotte (Sally's mother)

Sam Robards ~ Jack (George's step-father)

Alicia Silverstone ~ Ms Herman

Michael Angarano ~ Dustin

Director/Writer ~ Gavin Wiesen

Fright Night

http://www.frightnightmovie.co.uk/

As a huge horror/vampire fan from a very young age (I must have been well under the age of 10 when I started watching Hammer Horrors with my mum) I couldn't wait to watch the original 1985 version of Fright Night when my mum deemed me old enough to watch it. I was around 15 when I did eventually see it and I wasn't impressed. So much so that I can barely remember the original now that another 15 years have passed since I saw it. I just remember not liking it very much.

So when I heard that Fright Night was being remade, I had a reaction I don't normally have to remakes, I was really looking forward to seeing it. Mainly to see if the original would be improved on. Then I heard who'd been cast. Colin Farrell as the deliciously arrogant vampire Jerry, Anton Yelchin as Charlie, the geeky neighbour turned vampire killer, and David Tennant as Peter Vincent, supposed vampire hunter who turns out to be all talk. A dream cast if ever there was one. But what about the finished film...

Fright Night, for those who haven't seen the original, is a story of Charlie (Anton Yelchin), who lives in Las Vegas with his mom Jane (Toni Collette). A new neighbour has just moved in next door to them who they never see and who seems to be remodelising his house, he's blacked out his windows and seems to be removing a lot of concrete from inside. At school Charlie is faced with the reality that a growing number of students are not turning up for class and then disappearing altogether. He goes to investigate this with his one time childhood friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who has now become an embarrassment to Charlie now that Charlie's made it into the 'in' crowd and has a hot girlfriend, Amy (Imogen Poots). Ed soon meets a sticky end at the hands of Charlie's neighbour Jerry (Colin Farrell) who we discover pretty early on is indeed a vampire. When Charlie realises that Ed was telling the truth all along, he enlists the help of vegas showman Peter Vincent (David Tennant) to help him save his mom and his girlfriend from the neighbour from hell.

As I mentioned earlier, I don't really remember what the original was like, I just remember not liking it. And as much as One Day made me want to read the book on which the film was based, Fright Night has made me want to re-watch the original just to see if I like it better now that I'm a bit older? However, rather than this reflecting badly on the remake, I think this speaks volumes about how good the remake is. To make me willing to give a second chance to a film I wrote off 15 years ago is no mean feat.

But anyway, back to the remake. As I mentioned, the cast is a dream. Farrell clearly relishes playing a role like Jerry. And it does feel like he was perfectly chosen for the part with his womanising past and cocksure attitude. He has beefed up for the role and feels both intimidating and sexy in equal measure. It is also obvious how much fun Tennant had with his role. Effectively playing two parts, one of Peter Vincent, confident Las Vegas showman with more swagger than you could shake a stick at, then the real Peter, terrified of vampires which he knows are real. Finally Anton Yelchin, who is always an absolute pleasure to watch, as the geeky but endlessly brave Charlie. He is the perfect nemesis to Farrell's Jerry as you'd never think him capable of putting up a fight.

While we're on the subject of casting I would like to add that there is a cameo from a cast member of the original Fright Night. I won't say who it is but look out for it as it's a real treat for fans of the original film.

As far as I remember, the new film sticks pretty close to the plot of the original and I would say that for me, the only thing that lets the new film down are the CGI effects, as I actually don't think they're as good as the original effects from '85. This is one of the reasons I'm quite looking forward to another 80s film remake 'The Thing' as I've heard that they're not going down the CGI route, preferring instead to use the same methods adopted to make the original film. I don't know if that would have worked here, using old school make up and prosthetics but I remember being impressed with the effects in the original Fright Night (one of the only things I was impressed with) and the facial effects in this were just a little too fake. 

That said, I would still recommend Fright Night, not only to fans of the original, but also to those who didn't like it, as you might be pleasantly surprised! 8 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 2nd September 2011

UK Release Date - 2nd September 2011

Cast Overview

Anton Yelchin ~ Charley Brewster

Colin Farrell ~ Jerry

Toni Collette ~ Jane Brewster

David Tennant ~ Peter Vincent

Imogen Poots ~ Amy

Christopher Mintz-Plasse ~ Ed

Director ~ Craig Gillespie

Writer(s) ~ Marti Noxon (Screenplay) and Tom Holland (Story)

One Day

http://www.onedaymovie.co.uk/

One Day is a movie that a lot of people had anticipated for some time. To me, on the other hand, it seemed to come out of nowhere. This is because I am apparently the only person in the civilised world who'd never heard of the book. 

No sooner had I learned about the movie, and in turn the book, when I also found out the movie was finished and there was a trailer. In which Anne Hathaway - a woman I've admired for some time, for her on screen ability to get Jake Gyllenhaal into a state of undress - has a northern English accent. Or so it seemed, for her character is actually supposed to be from Yorkshire? But as a northern girl myself, this was something I had to see.

So I somewhat dragged my cinema buddy to see One Day. A film which tells the story of one relationship that spans 20 years. The title is so chosen because every scene is set on the same day every year. 15th July. The opening scene is set on 15th July 1988, when Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) meet, officially, for the first time. As Emma points out, they had met once before when Dexter crashed her birthday party, called her by another girls name and spilt red wine down her top. This pretty much tells us all we need to know about Dexter. He is a cocky womaniser who likes to drink. This also tells us a lot about Emma. That despite Dexter's appalling behaviour she forgives him, and remains his friend. The film continues showing us snippets of Emma and Dexter over the next 20 years, their relationships, their ups and downs, their careers and ultimately how entwined their lives are with one-another. I can't say much more than that without giving everything away.

The one thing that the movie has accomplished is that it has made me want to read the book. This is unfortunate as I think the audience for the film will predominantly be people who've already done that. And I suspect those people will find the film disappointing. The film misses out a year here and there, which I'm sure in the grand scheme of things doesn't really matter. There can't have been a lot that happened in those years for the film makers to consider leaving those out. But to fans of the book, I'm sure this alone is cause for outrage. The other reason I suspect the book fans will not be happy lies with the casting of Anne Hathaway. As much as I love her, even I can say with disappointment that her accent is not up to scratch. Which is a shame as there are certain words she's picked up on really well. For example in the trailer she says 'Tuesdies and Fridies' which is spot on. But then the rest of the sentence just isn't right.

It's a big ask, but if you can put aside the accent, I do think she does a really good job of playing Emma. A character who takes so much c%@p from her supposed best friend could have been downtrodden and had an unsympathetic reaction from the audience. But the way Hathaway plays her gives her a fiestiness which doesn't allow her to be walked over. She's also believable at not only the different ages but also as a plain, kinda dumpy girl, working in a fast food restaurant. She doesn't look out of place in that environment. And I don't know of many hollywood actresses who would allow themselves to be de-glamourised in such a way. So don't be too hard on her for the accent. It's one flaw in an otherwise worthy performance.

Sturgess's job on the other hand was much harder. Making Dex likable. He's a despicable character with very few good traits. I'm sure a lot of people will leave this movie wondering why Emma gives him so many chances and why she even likes him at all. As a girl who's been in a similar situation I can only say that no matter how many times your brain tells you he's no good, you can't help but hope that one day he'll change. Who knows, maybe that's another reason for the title. But I digress, as usual. Sturgess does a great job of showing all of Dexter's lesser qualities, the arrogance, the pig-headedness, the womanising, alcoholism and drug taking. But he does manage to win us over in the end. Again I won't go into the hows and the whys as this would give it all away.

Which brings me to the surprise ending. Which won't be a surprise to fans of the book, but as I'd not read the book, the ending was not what I'd expected it to be. I think that's all I can say on the subject though.

Very different from your average rom-com but all the better and richer for it. 8 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 2nd September 2011

UK Release Date - 24th August 2011

Cast Overview:

Anne Hathaway ~ Emma

Jim Sturgess ~ Dexter

Romola Garai ~ Sylvie

Rafe Spall ~ Ian

Ken Stott ~ Steven (Dexter's father)

Patricia Clarkson ~ Alison (Dexter's mother) 

Director ~ Lone Scherfig 

Writer ~ David Nicholls (Book and Screenplay)

Lady K's (Seemingly) Nonstop July

I have looked back over my personal blogs and it seems I'm averaging one personal blog per month. I have decided this is not good enough, not nearly good enough (spot the film quote) and I plan to rectify that this month. With a whole host of personal blogs! Woo! Whether my plan actually comes into fruition is a whole other story...


My first personal blog this month actually needs to take me all the way back to the start of July! To try and minimise boredom (on your part) I've decided to try and merge three blogs I had planned to do in July, into one giant post. With me so far? Good!


At the start of July I went home for a few days as my best friend of the north was renewing her wedding vows in celebration of her 10 year wedding anniversary. As I was maid of honour at her wedding 10 years ago I wanted to be there to help them celebrate 10 happy years together. The re-wedding went without a hitch (other than them getting hitched that is!) and a fantastic celebration followed, held at their house for family and friends. I already wished them a happy anniversary but I will take this time to say how blessed I am to have friends like these. Caring and loyal, not only to each other but those they hold dear. I am honoured to be one of the ones you guys hold dear.

Making the most of my brief time up north I also dropped in on my brother and sister in law who very kindly took me to visit my sister. My sister suffers from learning difficulties and now lives in a shared house with other girls who have similar disabilities. I don't get to see her as often as I do my friends and family up north, as unlike them she is not able to visit me in Brighton. This is unless she was accompanied by a carer. So it was nice to spend some time catching up with her. I got to hear all about the cruise she had recently been on with my dad and all of the lovely places they'd visited around the med. As you can see from my holiday snap, I also got to see my cheeky little nephew, which is always a treat for me.

On my way back to Brighton I decided to stop off in London as my favourite cinema there - The Prince Charles Cinema http://www.
princecharlescinema.com - was screening one of my all time favourite films since I was little, Labyrinth. Anyone who's previously read my personal blogs will know that this is the second time I'd tried to see Labyrinth at The PCC, but last time I failed as it was sold out. If you would like to read that particular entry go to: http://willow23s-firsteverblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentines-day.html. Anyway, this time I wasn't leaving anything to chance so I booked Labyrinth tickets for me and my best friend of the south for the showing on the day I got back from Preston. In my excitement I probably didn't factor in much thought about the fact that I would have a massive case with me! But luckily for me the staff at The PCC are as lovely as the place itself and they allowed me to leave my case safely locked away in their store cupboard! Hooray for the lovely people at The PCC! Ditto, if you missed it and want to read my Labyrinth review, go to: http://willow23s-filmreviews2011.blogspot.com/2011/07/labyrinth.html. 

 The rest of July was pretty quiet, unless you count the Harry Potter Premiere that I attended on the 7th July. I won't go into detail about that as I wrote a whole separate blog about my Harry Potter Experience (http://willow23s-firsteverblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/lady-ks-harry-potter-experience.html) which goes into a LOT of detail! 

I will just say that I spoke to Evanna Lynch (the actress who plays Luna Lovegood), and I got hers and Ralph Fiennes signatures, and it made my day! ;0) 

From the 8th July to the 15th July every waking moment (the ones where I wasn't keeping my eyes open with matchsticks whilst at work) was consumed with Mr Potter as I set myself The Potter Challenge.

I went to see every Harry Potter film, from The Philosophers Stone to The Deathly Hallows Part 2, one film per day at the cinema and had to review every film before I saw the next one. I thought at one point (around the time I was reviewing Half Blood Prince) that I might die of a Potter overdose! But now it's all over I find I miss the bespectacled boy wizard. And so I'm now reading the books. I had already read books 1 and 2 before I started my Potterthon but have now read book 3 and am in the midst of book 4 as we speak.

The day after I'd finally finished watching all of the Harry Potter movies, one of my close friends held her hen party. A fun night of drinking, singing, more drinking and dancing. I discovered a new haunt called The Haunt, which plays cheesy 80s tunes every Saturday night, and just generally had a fabulous time. 


This then left me with barely a week to recover and sort my flat out before my best friend from the north, her step daughter and another friend, descended upon my tiny one bedroom flat for my Birthday weekend...

...but as it's late and this post is already very long, that will have to wait for another day! ;0)


*Thanks to A-ha for the use of their song title (Seemingly) Nonstop July.