2014 in movies

I loved writing my end of year 2103 in movies post so much last year (and I hope you did too) that I thought I'd do another one. Note: These aren't in-depth movie reviews because I don't want to spoil them if you haven't seen them. So with our further ado, let's just get stuck straight in...

January
American Hustle
On the first day on 2014 I saw American Hustle. Brilliant film. Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence were a great (if dysfunctional) couple. Bradley Cooper also ace, along with the every exquisite Amy Adams. I loved the cameo by Louis CK too. Funny scenes with Bradley Cooper. Oh and the story is also decent.

12 Years A Slave
Hard subject, hard to watch at times. Fassbender was menacing as ever as the rich guy with the slaves. Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey was great. She took some beating. Hard to watch but you've got to really.

The Wolf of Wall Street
I've said it before and I'l say it again, I used to think that I hated Leonardo DiCaprio films (I still haven't seen Titanic - yuck), but then I realised that every movie i've seen him in I have LOVED. Yes, in capitals. And it's not because I particularly find him attractive, sure he's handsome but not my type. Sorry Leo! But he's just got it, hasn't he. A brilliant brilliant actor who is has not been recognised in the highest way with an Oscar, yet. Back to the film. A film that makes you think. A film about greed and decadence and making a quick buck and success and then failure. It's a bit long, sure, but not overly so. I've just bought it on DVD. See it if you haven't.

February
Orange Osage County
Hadn't heard much about this. Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep you know how this is going don't you. All in all quite a good (Sunday) movie. Meryl is over the top as ever but it kinda fits in with this storyline, which isn't a very happy one by the way.

That Awkward Moment
... when you type in the title and have to check IMDB to see what it was... back in a minute...
Ah yeas. Zac Efron and Imogen Poots. The first movie where I fell in love with her. She's great. Kooky and fun. It's a romcom with Zac Efron in it, it ain't gonna be deep. But for a Sunday it was nice. It's one of those you'll watch again on Netflix, when you've run out of everything else. Maybe that's a bit harsh, i'd definitely watch it again. I really enjoyed the sights of NYC since I was about o head there.

Dallas Buyers Club
BRILLIANT. Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto. Just magnificent. 1985. True story about a guy with aids who has to go to extreme lengths to get the medication he needs to try to prolong his life. Deserved Oscars for those two. Jared Leto plays a great part as Rayon. The movie is touching, they have a great relationship. It was sad too. Must see.

March
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wowsers. It was beautiful. Ralph Fiennes was AMAZING as the main character. His lines were delivered with such precise comedic timing. The settings, the hotel, the way they walked like puppets, the script - all wonderful. The story was pretty nice as well. The cast is amazing - Edward Norton (not in enough moves IMO); Adrien Brody; Bill Murray; Tilda Swinton (brilliant character); Jude Law; Willem Defoe to name but a few. Definitely see this.

Need for Speed
Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots. Yep, her again. She's really great in this Fast and Furious look-a-lie movie. It's a car movie. A sunday movie. It was fine. Enjoyable. Dominic Cooper great in the role of the 'baddie' again.

Captain America
I loved the first one. I really liked this one. Captain America wakes up in a modern world and I loved that he had to get see to the modern way of living. ScarJo is another favourite of mine. It's a comic book movie which I swore a few years ago that I hated. I'm not gonna say that again. Good movie.

April
Divergent
I was curious but the trailer and the awesome song in it. It's adapted from a novel much like Hunger Games and you could say it's kinda like hunger games because well it is. But it's different. It's not trying to be something flashy and bolshy like HG. And it has a better male lead that the boy who plays Peta - I don't get him at all! This was a really great movie and left me wanting more. I thought Shailene Woodley was naturally beautiful and a great lead. There are 'factions' that she has to choose from and well, all is not what it seems. I watched this again on a flight form NY. I would highly recommend it.

Calvary
Perhaps my biggest surprise movie of the year. A small release. Set in Ireland in a small village there's mystery and a giant priest figurehead Father James (Brenda Gleeson - brilliant). There's also a brilliant performance from Chris O'Dowd who by this time I'd seen on Broadway IN REAL LIFE and he was AMAZING. Yes, cap were required there. And there's Aiden Gillen whom I've always had a soft spot for. Father James is threatened in a Sunday confessional by one of his parishioners and he has to find out who?... I totally recommend this film.

The Amazing Spiderman 
Now, when you have amazing in your movie title, you'd better live up to it. This didn't. It was still good, I mean anything with cutesy Emma Stone in it is sure to be, isn't it?! I was more in awe of the NY and Times Square scenes so that I could recognise places i'd just visited. A good comic book movie nonetheless.

May
The Other Woman
It's Cameron Diaz in a romcom, what's not to love. It's actually pretty good. I loved her Soho apartment, her shoe closet and the appearances by big butt herself, Nikki Minaj were funny. The guy from Game of Thrones was good as a fanciable male lead because he is indeed fanciable. Yes, that is a word. This was that good I watched it again on the flight to New York in September. It's just one of those films women will watch, men might not.

Bad Neighbours
Really funny. Zac Efron again but this time with Seth Rogan and the wonderful Rose Byrne. She's great. It's not highbrow but you know what you're getting. I think you get more. Worth a watch for a laugh.

Sabotage
An Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie. Sofia Vergera's new beau is also in this tale of drugs and police and dirty cops and her from The Killing being all butch and quite frankly a right bitch. It was okay for a Sunday and is now on Netflix if you wanna give it a go. Sam Worthington worthy of a mention too, only cause he's lovely. Not in this though.

The Two Faces of January
An unexpected decent watch for me. Kirsten Dunst and Vigo Mortenssen play a con artist and his wife who happen upon a young handsome stranger (Oscar Isaac - who is going to be HUGE in 2015!). A tale of intrigue I really liked this.

June
X-Men: Days of Future Past
It's the X-Men what's not to love. (Forget what i said about unrealistic films in the paragraph above). In this film you've got everyone; McAvoy, Stewart, Fassbender, McKellen and the rest. They go back in time to prevent a catastrophic event. Does it work?! you'll have to see it. I actually can't remember what happens in this film. I think i liked it but honestly can't say.

22 Jump Street
The follow up to 21 Jump Street. Still funny but perhaps bit as much. Really liked it though. I love that Channing Tatum can take the piss out of himself in these films.

The Fault in Our Stars
Men and anyone older than me probably won't like this film but I did. It's a teen romance weepy film but it was played very well but he two main leads. Perfect for a sunday afternoon or any time you want to remind yourself that life is short, grab it with both hands.

July
Begin Again
I LOVED THIS MOVIE. Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley and surprisingly good turns by James Corden and Adam Levine. A film about how music can bring people together or tear them apart. Ruffalo is a failed music producer guy and Keira Knightley is the girlfriend of Adam Levine who hits the big time with his career and so they move to Manhattan. Except he has to travel the world and she gets left behind. The backdrop of Soho and lower manhattan was amazing and there was a particular scene where they share a pair of earphones - lovely.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Now. This for me was tricky. I quite liked this movie. I did not love it. I appreciated how realistic the apes were and all of that jazz but I couldn't rave about it the way that some people did. You see i'm generally not into unrealistic films and as I type that i realise that most films are unrealistic. It's probably that same thing i mean when i sued to say i didn't like comic book movie films. Not my top film of the year by any distance. You should probably see it and make up your own mind.

August
Guardians of the Galaxy
Really really brilliant. Chris Pratt is awesome. I had been waiting on this film since i saw the trailer and that music blasted out at me. The soundtrack is great too. Pratt has gone all grown up into a hot action comic book hero LEAD. A few pounds lighter than his Andy Dwyer of Pawnee in Parks and Recreaton but still as great. A quick witted racoon (bradley Cooper) and a tree that only says one line the entire film (Vin Diesel) are a couple of his sidekicks along with a green Zoe Saldana. I'm not sure about her... This is a contender for my movie of the year but i'm quite indecisive so we'll see. But you should see this. Go!

The Rover
Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson is the bleak and confusing movie set in the Australian outback. I hadn't a clue what was going on. It was weird. And intense. I wouldn't have been happy had I actually paid £9 a ticket for this!

Hector and The Search for Happiness
Simon Pegg as Hector, searching for happiness. That's what we're all searching for isn't it? It was a nice movie. It made me want to pack up a bag and just go, like Hector. I might just do that. A Sunday movie. Okay.

September
The Guest
I wasn't sure what this was about but I went to see it anyway. It's Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley from Downton) in one of his first roles since he left behind that stuck up Lady Mary. Except here he's all menacing and buff and mysterious. He lands upon a family saying he's friends with their dead son. They take him in... You can probably guess the rest...

Wish I Was Here
Zach Braff's crowd funded movie. I quite liked this one. It was sweet. Kate Hudson is always a winner in my eyes. I loved her played down mum version here.

October
Gone Girl
Fantastic. Ben Affleck is brilliant as is Rosamund Pike. A good couple pairing. The film is adapted from the book and I always avoid reading the books but it kinda made me want to read the book afterwards. I really loved this film. It was a bit mental in parts but overall the story gripped me and I wasn't sure where it was going to go. I'd recommend this if you haven't seen it.

The Best of Me
Aw a lovely Sunday afternoon romantic drama. A pair of high school sweethearts meet again afar years. Nothing taxing, nothing mind blowing, James Marsden (bonus). Okay.

Serena
I looked forward to this so much. Ugh. I was disappointed. I can't quite understand why but it was just... This was the next instalment of the onscreen partnership of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. I mean, i love them both as actors but for me this didn't work. Have we seen too much of them together on screen I thought as I sat there looking at the time on my phone. For me, thats my sign a movie isn't holding me, the time check. It wasn't as good as I expected really.

November
Nightcrawler
Amazing. I loved this film. Jake Gyllenhaal is a weirdo. He's a misfit trying to find his place in the world. I felt his pain. However, he was savvy enough to pick up on something to do as a career, albeit slightly weird career as a 'nightcrawler' filming the immediate aftermath of RTA's, shootings and robberies so that he could sell the footage to a news corporation and make money. He played the oddball character well (famously losing hundreds of weight for the role). He was believable. He was ruthless to meet his end goals. All in all I really loved this film.

Say When
Sam Rockwell. It had me from the trailer. Kiera Knightley unleashed from her period drama costumes. I like this Kiera better. She should do more of this. She's really very good at it. She's another oddball who doesn't quite fit in and is still trying to figure out where her life is going. She meets a group of teenagers outside a supermarket and ends up hiding out with one of them on the floor of her room. Then she meets her new friend's father - Sam Rockwell, and, well you can probably guess the rest. I liked this film a lot.

The Drop
Tom Hardy is a barman in Brooklyn but you can just tell he has a shady past. Noomi Rapace is a mysterious girl he meets when he finds a stray dog crying in her bin. Stick with it. James Gandolfini's final role and i don't think he looked well in it. I mean he must've been okay but he didn't look it. Anyway the story is decent and there's a good twist. Also popping up here is Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone). He's a baddie... or is he?! See it.

The Hunger Games - Mockingjay Part 1
Now. I really liked the first two movies. I was so looking forward to this one. I was disappointed and, again, I kept checking the time. Here's what I didn't like - Katniss was crying all of the time, over the creepy boy Peta. I actually don't like that character. I kept thinking 'why is she crying again?'. 'Would Katniss Everdeen really be crying this much?'. 'She's tougher than this'. That's what I kept saying to myself. Also, I really missed the glitz and glamour of the actual Games taking place like they did in the first two movies. I mean I know the story has moved on but still, I missed it. But I have to say Elizabeth ants as Effie Trinket is brilliant once again. Such a good character. Gale Hawthorne also good. It won't stop me seeing the next movie but i was overall disappointed in this one.

December
Horrible Bosses 2
I liked this first one. This was a decent follow up, although Jennifer Aniston is hardly in it. it's funny and was good for a Sunday afternoon.

Dumb and Dumber To
Yes there were laughs, yes it was good to see Harry and Lloyd again but it wasn't a patch on the first one. I think because we sort of know what's coming, we know the jokes, we know some of the characters already. See it if you liked the first one.

So after all of that I think my top few movies this year were (in no particular order): Nightcrawler, Guardians of the Galaxy, Dallas Buyers Club, Gone Girl, Begin Again, The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Wolf of Wall Street.

Well, that's all folks!
Until next year.

Angela x

2013 In Movies

I'm a hoarder. That's no secret. I keep receipts for the month until i can check them off against my bank statements, then i throw them in the bin. But not before ripping them into tiny squares.

By the same token, I also keep my ticket stubs from the cinema. I was tidying and arranging them into months and decided I'd do a post about the movies i've seen this year on the big screen, and maybe i'll give them mini one line reviews. Admittedly there's one that I can't remember what it was about. It was in January. I'll have to Google it as I just cannot for the life of me remember it. So here goes...

*breaks* WAIT! disclaimer: I am no film critic. I like what i like. There are no in depth reviews here, just a review of my year in movies. In turn there are no spoilers either. Where I like a film i will say so and where i didn't i will say that too. I watched Film 2013 before Christmas one night and the critics on there just seemed to be over analysing everything about Anchorman 2. I just wanted to jump in the screen and shout "it's not meant to be high brow, lighten up". Maybe it is meant to be high brow? But they just seemed to over-read into things that i don't think were even there! Okay, mini rant on film critics over. Read on, troops.

January
First movie of the year Les Miserables. I absolutely loved this film. The songs just hit you in the face and by the end I was a blubbery wreck. A great film. If you like musicals, see it. If you don't it's still worth seeing.

Next up Zero Dark Thirty. Based on the story of the capture of Osama Bin Laden. You all know how that went in the end. It starts off with a black screen and audio only of phone calls form the twin towers. Chilling.

February
Django Unchained. I'd seen the trailer for months and was excited to see this. Blood and gore and swearing and...well if you like that kinda thing you'll want to see this. I liked it a lot.

Beautiful Creatures. I remember I only went to see this as there wasn't really much else on that weekend and I was at a loose end. It was surprisingly good. Better than those Twilight films in my opinion. It's from a teenage novel series I believe and was a pretty decent watch.

To The Wonder. This is the one i'll have to go and Google. Sorry... Ah yes. Ben Affleck. This was soooo confusing at parts. I got bored easily. I wanted it to be great, after seeing Argo a few months previously. It wasn't really. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

March
Broken City. Wahlberg and Crowe. Dirty cops etc etc. A good Sunday film.

Safe Haven. Cheesy romantic film with Josh Duhamel. I LOVED THIS. It appealed to my romantic side. I dreamed it was me being rescued. I also cried. Cried so much. A weepy.

Oz: The Great and Powerful. Another take on the Wizard of Oz. Great solid Disney fair. Franco is a great Oz, I thought.

Side Effects. Psychological thriller with a great big twist. Jude Law helps things along nicely, ladies!

Welcome To The Punch. James McAvoy in one of the two movies he was in at the time. I thought this one was much better than Trance. Cops and robbers. Car chases. Shoot-outs. Great watch. Mark Strong, bonus.

Trance. Great soundtrack, pretty confusing, twists and turns. Worth a watch, but see also the movie above.

April
The Odd Life of Timothy Green. Another Disney movie. A good little Saturday afternoon feel good movie. With Lovely Joel Edgerton in it too - bonus!

The Place Beyond The Pines. Much anticipated. Overall disappointing. I wanted to love it. I liked it, in places. Ryan Gosling just about saves it. Just.

Olympus Has Fallen. Surprisingly fine. Gerard Butler's accent though! Once you get past that it's a pretty good action movie. Aaron Eckheart is so fine in this. In fact, I've watched it again over the Christmas holidays as it's now available on Netflix.

Iron Man 3. Robert Downey Jr is just electric on screen isn't he? He's just got that X factor. I watched Mark Kermode's movie review on BBC news the other day. He said the Iron Man franchise is the biggest comic book movie franchise, ever! (In terms of earnings i think).

May
Dead Man Down. Colin Farrell and 'the girl with the dragon tattoo' actress, Noomi Rapace. A thriller. Quite good. I somehow didn't believe her character though. She just didn't suit being girly. That sounds weird I know.

Star Trek: Into Darkness. Now, disclaimer time, i absolutely am not a fan of science fiction or older Stark Trek movies. Somehow something drew me to this one. Zachary Quinto maybe? (Oh dear there's a them running through my movie attendance, isn't there...). Anyway,  it was okay. A weird Alice Eve full body shot that would've pleased the guys, but quite unnecessary.

Fast and Furious 6. The trailer for this had me at first sight. I hadn't watched a FandF movie since about number 2. I think this was more darker, less glitzy. Mostly set in the UK, perhaps that was a factor. I thought it was a great action/car chase movie. The music was great too. Sadly a few weeks before Christmas Paul Walker was killed in a car accident. How apt maybe. Such a shame. I really liked what they'd done with his character in 6.

The Great Gatsby. Perhaps the greatest disappointment for me all year. I'd seen the trailers since about December and they kept putting the date back. Then I heard lots about the soundtrack and how Jay-Z was on board. I thought this would've been amazing. For me the music felt like it was just plonked in as an afterthought. Much of the dancing and pretend singing didn't go in time with the music that was playing. Sure it's a nice story. i think the true love story was between Gatsby and Nick Carraway (of course, Di Caprio and real left bestie Tobey MacGuire). Carey Mulligan, whilst a great actress, I just can't hold any feelings for the characters she plays. That's just a me thing though. Oh, i didn't hate it. But after all the hype surrounding it's release I was disappointed.

June
The Hangover part 3. I liked this. I wasn't expecting anything intellectual here, but hoped for laughs and that's what i got. It all got tied up at the end too, so to speak.

July
Man of Steel. Much talked about Superman movie with a way-too-pumped-up Henry Cavill. Good film, I'd love Russell Crowe to be my dad. Well, my dad from the other world. This is the story of how a young boy discovered his powers. Amy Adams really is great isn't she.

Now You See Me. It's all a game, an illusion. And very well played it was too. I liked this film. Isla Fisher isn't in nearly enough films if you ask me. She'll always be Shannon from Home and Away to me though. Great twist at the end that I'm pretty sure you might not get.

The World's End. Fabulous film. Coming to this having never seen any of the other movies in the trilogy i didn't feel left out. I fell for Gary King, hard. It's a bit silly in places but you get over that with the fantastic soundtrack and great lines. I would recommend this one if you haven't seen it.

The Wolverine. I'm a massive Wolverine/X Men fan. I found this good but do admit to checking my watch sometime through it. For me that's a sign it's not holding me. It's a dark one. Hugh Jackman is more pumped than he's ever been in previous Wolverine incarnations. I'd watch it again though. I liked the end teaser for the net X Men!

August
Kick Ass 2. This was a charity screening i went to see. It cost me money. It was okay. Funny in parts. I wouldn't ordinarily have paid for it.

The Heat. Sandra Bullock back in her comedy role, playing another FBI agent. A real belly laugh movie. Melissa McCarthy great also. A movie that makes you laugh. Sometimes you just need to go and see one of those.

September
The Way Way Back. Sam Rockwell was in the trailer. Sold! I didn't expect this to hit me the way it did but i think this is a strong contender for movie of the year for me. Really. It was a touching story of a young boy finding himself, who goes to his mum's boyfriends summer house and ends up with one of the best friendships I've seen on screen in a while. Steve Carrell was also great as the villain of the piece. A brilliant little movie, you should see this.

White House Down. Almost identical story to Olympus Has Fallen. Another great action movie. What else can i say.

Prisoners. Dark. Thriller. Who done it type story. You never really know until the end. I really liked this. Including Jake Gyllenhaal's ticks.

October
Runner Runner. JT and Ben Affleck. I hoped it was better than the last Ben Affleck film I watched. It was. A good Sunday movie, which for me is about a 2.5/5 film.

Sunshine on Leith. Cheesy. A terrible Scottish accent on one of the main characters. But listening to the Proclaimers songs on the big screen was absolutely uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. Sometimes you list to songs and never hear the words. This gives you a chance to take the words in and appreciate what great songwriters those be speckled brothers are. A rather feel good film that made me feel good. Does what it says on the tin.

Filth. Another Irvine Welsh book i haven't read. I did enjoy the film though. James McAvoy was great playing this part. It's sweaty, it's got drug use in it and isn't very pc at parts. Liked this a lot.

Prince Avalanche. If you ask anyone who Paul Ruud is, probably less than 50% of people would know who he was (pre Anchorman 2 maybe). Show them a picture and they'll likely say 'oh that guy'. He's been in lots of movies over the years but I'd be hard pressed to think of a film where he was the only star (The Object of my Affection was where I first saw him, i think!). Anyway, in this film it's mostly just him and Emile Hirsch. Roadworkers who spend a summer in isolation painting yellow lines on the roads. Oh it's a bit more than that really but it was beautiful in parts, especially when he helps the old woman at whats left of her wrecked house. See it.

November
Thor. Oh god, i said i wasn't a comic book movie fan and here i am again. I really liked the first one. I didn't like this as much, although I'd definitely still watch it again. Hiddleston is great, i liked what they done with his character... And Christopher Ecclestone, one of my all time favourites.

The Counsellor. Hands down the worst movie I've seen this year. Well maybe not the worst. It was all a bit too complicated to follow with the long winded dialogue that was a bit riddle-ridden. I just couldn't take it in at parts. And my goodness, I don't know what it was but all i kept thinking was how old Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt were looking! Anyone else?

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. I only watched the first one (reluctantly) about 3 months ago on Netflix but i absolutely loved it so i was looking forward to this one. It didn't disappoint. I liked this lots. Jennifer Lawrence is brilliant isn't she. Elizabeth Banks plays a great part too in my opinion. This film is over the top and then it just ended, just at the part where I thought something else was going to happen. Drat. S'pose I'll have to wait until the next one then.

December
Homefront. Jason Statham. You know what you're going to get here, don't you. All the same i don't mind his films, his accent was real dodgy though. I'd have him fighting on my team any day.

Anchorman 2: the legend of Ron Burgundy. I haven't seen the first one. I don't think i needed to. It was silly, it was funny. Steve Carrell is brilliant. There was a guy sitting in the same row as me. Laughed out loud from the start with one of those 'hey look at me I'm a big fan and I'm laughing so hard and loud' laughs. It wasn't that funny. Okay i laughed but not all of the time. And that's just fine by me. There's a really great part near the end where all manner of people make cameos. Yeezy!

So there you have it. Most of the films I saw this year (I'm sure I missed a few out due to missing ticket stubs). All thanks to my Cineworld unlimited card. Roughly saving myself £115 on the above movies by paint £16 a month. Worth it? yes. I wouldn't go to the cinema nearly as much as I do now. Plus, i love hiding in a huge dark room with a bunch of strangers staring at a giant screen.

Angela x

I saw Les Miserables...

And it was absolutely BRILLIANT!

You'll know that I've waited months to see this film since I first caught site of the trailer a few months back. It made my skin tingle. I'm glad to report that the full length film was all of that times a million. I LOVED it. I've heard all the famous Les Mis songs on various talent shows but I've never really bothered to find out what the story was about. Glad I didn't as it meant everything was more or less new to me.

From pretty much the first scene Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean was amazing. A few minutes in and there's a scene that you can see very bit of anguish and pain on his hollow cheeked face.

Anne Hathaway is pretty great too as Fantine. When she does the 'I dreamed a dream' song! Oh man, I wept. I wept because there she was on the large screen, her new shorn head filling it all to the side and nothing in the background to distract you from that moment. It was a masterpiece.

Russell Crowe played his part well. warbling his way through a number of songs but still holding that menacing gaze.

The 'supporting' cast were really good too but i have to say I thought Samantha Barks as Eponine overshadowed Amanda Seyfried as Cosette. Barks was utterly brilliant and moving and of course a wonderful wonderful singer. Whilst watching I thought to myself, 'I've seen this girl before' and couldn't place her. Got home and googled her and *ringing bell* of course! She was in I'd Do Anything on BBC1. Where Andrew Lloyd Webber held a competition to find a Nancy for his Oliver show. I think it's amazing that she's been on stage playing that part and now in the movie. Hopefully it's only that start for her as she was great. 

Eddie Redmayne, that slightly ginger freckly kid from ... well where did he come from? but wherever it was I'm glad he did. He was good. Not a bad singer either. Very good scenes with his gang of revolutionaries. 

Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were totally brilliant as the inn keepers and really added something light to an otherwise emotional film. They were great. I downloaded their song as soon as I left the cinema.

As ever this isn't a review of the film, nor are there any spoilers, but i just had to get some thoughts down on paper. 

The sets and costumes were fab and the end scene a triumph. For all.

Les Miserables is a grand affair. At times it is harrowing. At times it is funny. With everything being sung I found I listened to the words of the songs more and what they meant. Kinda like how I have to concentrate more whilst watching The Killing with subtitles. It made me really feel the words of the songs and go through (well a little bit) what the characters were going through at that moment. 

Oh, and I want to see the musical too. Although in the movie the camera was really close to the faces of the singers. You saw all their pain and hurt and feelings and everything, you saw everything in every inch of their faces. Not sure how that would translate in the theatre. So who wants to come with me?

I'm going to see it again. I have to. The music was awesome. The film was great. I was sobbing all the way out the cinema. In a good way! 

Angela x

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Upgrade to Premium Unlimited

Last week I was sent through my Cineworld Premium Unlimited card. It's black which makes it feel even more exclusive than it probably is. It's a card that I pay £14.99 per month for and which allows me to go to any Cineworld cinema and see any amount of films in a month as i want. (At least, i don't think there's a limit to the amount of films you can see. Who reads the T's and C's anyway!).

The premium unlimited card has been introduced to people who've been unlimited members for more than a year. That's me! It also allows you to get a much needed 25% discount on food and drink in the kiosks and you can now even book a ticket online too. This is a long awaited feature. The only problem is that that day i did just that, the queue for the ticket machine was extra long and so my ticket was re-sold as i hadn't redeemed it within 20 minutes of the performance starting. I think this system will only work if there are a few unlimited members only collection machines in the foyers so that we don't have to wait in super long queues. Just a thought.

My Cineworld card has been one of the single most useful and important things i have ever purchased. I'll tell you why...

I'm often to be found wandering aimlessly through town or the city if i venture out at weekends. This card means that if i have a few hours spare (which let's be honest for me is most weekends), then I can simply walk to the nearest Cineworld cinema and see a movie. I've really gone to town and taken full advantage of the card recently. I've seen a great number of brilliant films. Some good films and maybe one or two not so good films.

I wanted to share with you some of those films and why i thought they were brilliant or just plain good. Don't worry i'll try not to spoil them for you. But I can't guarantee i won't tell you some details so don't read any further if you want to avoid them...

Argo

Ben Affleck directs here. An absolutely brilliantly told tense true story. I was on the edge of my seat without even realising. Set in 1980 the clothes and hair are bang on. The story is mostly set in Iran and follows 6 fugitives and how they were extracted from a volatile troubled Tehran. You sorta knew the ending but how it got there was a different story. I'd never heard about this true story before. It's almost unbelievable but true. I've always liked Ben Affleck. Good Will Hunting is one of my favourite films ever. He stars and directs Argo and it's a triumph. "Argofuckyourself"... you have to see it.

Rust and Bone

A French movie with subtitles. Stars Marion Cotillard. I'd seen the trailer for this a few weeks before the movie was released and I immediately fell for it. I waited on the release and then one lazy Wednesday afternoon i took myself specifically to Glasgow to see it (it wasn't in any cinema in Stirling). It also stars Matthias Schoenaerts who is a Belgian actor (no i didn't remember that, I IMDB'd him). But he's not forgettable - ladies! He's Ali in the film. Father to a young son who leaves Belgium to live with his sister in Antibes, but all doesn't go to plan. Marion Cotillard is Stephanie. Ali and Stephanie meet in unusual circumstances. It was so good from the start. I wasn't sure what the story was at the beginning and then it started to make sense. Things happen (no spoilers) and this film turned into a beautiful tale of hope and ultimately it's a love story too. It's harsh at times. There are brutal and devastating scenes in it but this is what gets you so attached to the characters that you care what happens to them. Well, i cared. It's beautifully shot,  great music underpins it and the characters were real. I'd highly recommend you see this.

End of Watch

Wowsers. Great film. Shaky camera work, great rapport between the two main characters and Jake Gyllenhaal doing funny! What's not to love. Again, with this begin a cop drama set in the tough South Central LA, there are scenes that might make you look away. But that won't be for very long. I saw Jake G talk about this film on tv the other night. He said one of the crashes in the movie did actually happen in real life, accidentally, but the cameras kept rolling. You see that this was shot on handheld cameras but that kinda brought it more in your face. A good solid cop drama.

Silver Linings Playbook

Woah. A bit off the wall is our Patrick (Bradley Cooper). Patrick has just been released from a mental hospital where he's been for 8 months following an incident with his wife! He's now trying to get his life back together whilst living back at home with his parents. He meets Tiffany, a girl who seems to be just like him. Patrick is trying hard to win back his wife after the incident. It might all go to someones plan. It's a bit kooky, quite funny and was a bit of a change to Cooper's outings in The Hangover films. He makes you see the heartache in Patrick's mind through his lovely blue eyes (I couldn't write a little tale about the Cooper without mentioning those eyes). Robert De Niro wonderfully plays Patrick's troubled dad. Great. An enjoyable film I could relate in a weird way. I loved it.

The Imposter
This is a true story/documentary about a guy who pretends to be a boy who went missing from a family in America. Except he turns up in Spain! It's intriguing. It's weird. And if you didn't know it was true you'd think it was totally unbelievable. But all is not what it seems with the family... This was a step away from what i usually watch and i thoroughly enjoyed it even though i left feeling creeped out.

Other mentions go to Ruby Sparks and of course, The Perks of Being A Wallflower...

Alex Cross wasn't up to much apart from Matthew Fox playing a really great maniacal psychopath killer and Edward Burns being Edward Burns.

Anna Karenina was a bit slow but the wonderfully mesmerising dance scene at the ball had me in awe. All those hand movements, i wanted to get out of my seat and start practising straight away. Oh yes!!

Now we get to Skyfall - The more i think about Skyfall the more i get annoyed by all of the blatant product placement that was in it from the very start. I'm not a huge Bond fan but I've seen the last few. This one was beautifully shot in parts, especially the scenes in Scotland. They were breathtaking. I recognised a road I've driven a few times and my first munro i climbed too. Braw. In this one Bond has been absent for a while then reappears. (I don't want to give too much away). Javier Bardem is really good as a menacing Bond villain, almost creepy. To me there is absolutely no point in the Bond girl in this film. I think I'd prefer to know the actress playing a Bond girl so you could maybe relate to or at least care about what happens to her. I didn't here. Incidentally i thought Craig started to look a bit older in this one - dare i say past it... It started to get a bit silly at one point, people are saying it's like Home Alone. I thought that scene went on a bit too long. Oh, I must mention the opening scene (before the opening credits). Now, I can see why they had to put it there but i just found it a bit tedious. Too long perhaps? But, then came the opening credits and i was mesmerised again. The song and the graphics that were all flowy and liquid looking and kind of reminded me of Tales of the Unexpected back in the day. If you can remember that then *high five*! Overall it was a decent movie with some stunningly shot scenes. If i had to I'd give it 3/5.

Movies I'm looking forward to seeing are Les Miserables, Seven Psychopaths, Pitch Perfect, Lincoln, Gangster Squad, Hansel and Gretel and OZ; the great and powerful. Phew!

Angela x

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Five things on a Friday #36

Apologies. I've fallen off the wagon in terms of keeping up the Friday Five blogs posts, actually that goes for blogging as a whole. Sometimes its good to take your foot off the gas and replenish ideas. So i'm skipping a few Friday Five posts. The last one was #30 and this is #36.

1) The Paralympics. How amazing have they been? Pretty darn amazing. I'm going to really really miss not turning on the tv and seeing inspirational people win medals. Withdrawal symptoms already but the 400m final is in a few short hours and i really want Oscar Pistorious to win it. He's an icon and a really good athlete. Some of the athletes taking part are so good they make you forget that you're watching people with some sort of disability. I mean, is it even right to use that word anymore. Cycling is my thing, as you know, and Jon-Allan Butterworth another one i've been watching. The whole team again have proved they have a great set up and Super Sarah Storrey - wow! Amazing. And let's not forget David Weir. One of the most unassuming superstars out there. A refreshing change. He is a superstar and should be recognised as such in the future.

2) Lawless. the movie. I've just been to see Lawless at the cinema. I'd been looking forward to this one for a while. Tom Hardy is in it afterall. It is a really good movie. Hardy plays the oldest of 3 brothers, Forrest Bondurant. In my opinion this character is a much stronger one than his Bain in TDKR. For one, you can see his face and two, he grunts and drawls his way through the film with great presence and a pretty genuine sounding southern drawl. Typical Hardy acting. I'm biased, i like his films but here he really does menacing without the armour of a Bain style uniform. Here he has a hat and a cardigan. No joke. See it. It's worth it.

3) I don't often buy myself perfume. If so it's rare. I usually get enough for Christmas to last me through the year. But... last week i was given a sniff of a new Lancome perfume and i thought i didn't like it at first but the little card with the scent lay on my drawers and the it really grew on me. So much so that i went and bought myself a bottle on Wednesday. It's La Vie Et Belle by Lancome. Julia Roberts appears to be the face of it. If it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me. Anyhow, it's hard to describe the scent but it sticks around all day and i can't get enough of it. It's a little different to my usual Eternity by Calvin Klein or Miracle by Lancome. By the way, that was a subtle hint, you know, cos Christmas lists should be written soon *winky eye face*

4) For two weeks in a row I've completed 5 spinning bike classes per week. It's been tough, but at the same time a great feeling once they're done. Monday and Tuesday are with Claire. She's a little jumping bean of a girl. Small but perfectly toned and a really nice character. Wednesday is one with Julie and one with Tim. Julie is a brilliant motivator and a laugh. Gets you going with a smile. Tim's class is RPM. Tough as but great! He's a machine that pushes you and the last track he's been using is a dance remix of Haddaway's what is love. A laugh every time it comes on. He really makes you push yourself. Friday night's class is with Ross. A quiet guy but deadly. This is more of an interval hill climb class with only one or two breaks in the hour. Last night in particular i totally went for it. Gears higher than ever and really pushing through. Each class is different in style as well as music choice. All good though. So glad I found spinning class. But...new trainers have been purchased and a run has been completed. I'm gonna get into that more in the future too. As well as Saturday morning Shockfit kettle bells... Start that next week. Woohooo!!

5) Connor is 3 tomorrow. I cannot believe how time has flown. He's an amazing little boy. He absolutely loves his big brother to death (although they can have a fight too!). He's got a great sense of humour and the cutest little squinty eye face he makes. You have to see it. Tomorrow is his. Happy Birthday Connor! Love you.

Angela x

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Revisiting Batman as the Dark Knight Rises

Last night I headed off to the cinema to see the Batman double showing before this weeks release of the Dark Knight Rises. Of which I am way too excited to see. I managed to get a single seat in the back row. It was near the edge so was pleased that no one's big head may disturb my view. I sat in my seat and the screen started to fill up. A few people came and sat in my row and then a group of about 5 came along and were all friends. Turns out they'd booked tickets online at different times and i was stuck bang in the middle of their little group. Of course we swapped seats which suited me even more as it was back row as well as being on the aisle so there would be no instructed view.

The screen popped into life a little past 6pm and played some trailers of movies. Total Recall with Colin Farrell!?! It looked kinda like The Matrix to me.

Anyway, The Dark Knight Rises trailer came on and everyone went silent. Then there was applause afterwards. I always think applause in the cinema is a bit weird. Awkward even. How do you feel about it?

People were still coming in and the films were about to begin. I couldn't wait and was so glad I hadn't watched any of them for a long time. Batman Begins began...

There were things i'd forgotten. There were scenes where I noticed little details I probably missed on my grainy portable tv when I first watched the dvd. I'm sure you all know the story so far, about Bruce Wayne and how he becomes Batman. If you don't then give it a watch.

What I appreciated more on this showing was the scale, the detail, and of course you can't escape the great relationship that Alfred and Master Bruce have. I also really like Katie Holmes in the movie. I thought it was a tad sad that she wasn't on board for The Dark Knight. When we first see, or rather hear Morgan Freeman and Lucius Fox, I could not help but smile. I want him to narrate my life. I just know that everything would turn out right then. I'd forgotten that Liam Neeson was such a good baddie too. Just one of the many, and of the many father like figures in Bruce Wayne's oh so dark and lonely life.

Let's talk about Christian Bale. I'm surprised it's taken me seven paragraphs to get here. Awesome Batman. Brought the right touch of mean and moodiness to this character. The close ups were also good *wink* He's so handsome. But every time I see a close up part of me keeps thinking back to Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) and that scene where he does the face mask and slowly peels it off. I have never seen such flawless and clean skin on a boy! Have a look, it's extraordinary.

When the first movie ended there was a round of applause, from some quarters. Again, awkward. Then a 20 minute break.

I could not for the life of me remember the exact story to The Dark Knight and I'm so happy I couldn't. It made it even more like a first screening. Of course we all remember this film as being Heath Ledger's last one. And what a last one he gave us. Wowsers. The camera loves him, as do we all I'm sure. Such a sad loss. But let's not cry. Instead let's remember his Joker. A wonderful baddie, if a baddie can ever be wonderful. And yet in the end, I sympathised with him, The Joker. His little on screen video to the crowd and the "ha haha ha ha hahaha ha ha ... ha ha" staccato dialogue, great. We can only imagine what working on set with Christian Bale and Heath Ledger must have been like. Electric i'd guess.

Maggie Gyllenhal takes the role of Rachel in the second movie. And like i said before, i missed Katie Holmes in it. We also get an all too short scene with William Fitchner, i likes him. We get more Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and (I forgot to mention) Gary Oldman. Wonderful Commissioner Gordon. He's on Batman's side. Another father figure, but yet does he know Batman's real identity? I don't think he does.

I'm glad I went and revisited these movies before the final part of the trilogy. It's a sad day but we have the dvds to remind us what a brilliant director Christopher Nolan is. These films have to be seen on the big screen, or at least a big telly. I don't have a big telly so this was a treat of the highest order for me.

Roll on the weekend when I will see Dark Knight Rises on the big screen in IMAX! Waaaaaa. I'm excited. I can't wait to find out the fate of our beloved heroes Bruce, Alfred, Lucius, James Gordon. AND I cannot wait to see Tom Hardy's Bane, and what terror and darkness he brings to Gotham, 8 years on from the last instalment. If I'm completely honest, i'm not too sure about Catwoman. I'll keep an open mind. The countdown is on...

Angela x

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One Weekend, Two Movies - Snow White and Prometheus

Before I begin, heed this warning - Spoiler Alert! Not so much about the plot but about people in these movies. You have been warned.

So I went to see Snow White and the Huntsman last Saturday evening. I'd been looking forward to this one since I first saw the trailer back in February. When we arrived it was empty but slowly the screen started to fill with families. Little kids, less than 12 years old. I wouldn't have said it was a kids movie, although 12A rated. Anyhow they were running around playing tig and doing cartwheels down the front before it started. Weird.
This film stars Kristen 'twilight' Stewart and Kim from Home and Away (Chris Hemsworth). I know! but as you know I love getting my daily Home and Away fix and he'll always be that boy to me. He's been around a lot lately.... Thor, The Avengers...

Anyway, in this film he has a faint Scottish accent, akin to those from Braveheart, who aren't actually Scottish. His voice is so deep he gets away with it though. The story is the one of Snow White (obviously) but a bit darker than the Mirror Mirror version i also enjoyed a few weeks ago.  The scenes in the dark forest and then the enchanted forest are pretty cool. The animals all come to life where you'd least expect them. The troll bridge is by far the coolest creature thing in the movie but the best thing for me was when the dwarves appeared. Ian McShane, Ray Winstone and Bob Hoskins as well as others that you'l recognise from various bit parts across tv and film. Very funny little bunch. A pleasant surprise. Charlize Theron was the evil queen. She played it well but with too much wailing and that dead behind the eyes look that she some how comes up with again in Prometheus.

I won't regale the plot (you probably already sorta kinda know how it goes anyway) but overall I enjoyed it a lot.

SPOLER ALERT - you have been warned. Don't read any further if you don't want to know certain parts. I'm going to describe some scenes.....

Sunday i headed to see Prometheus. Now, i'm not a sci-fi movie fan by any stretch of the imagination. I've never seen most of them. But this one I wanted to see. Something had me hooked...
Again, i'm not going to go into the plot. I'm not sure I fully understand what it was (was I supposed to have watched the Alien films before this?). What I will say is that visually it was awesome. The scenery of the planet (Iceland was used I believe) was stunning. The spaceship had all mod cons as you'd expect from a space ship in 2093 and the vehicles were also cool. What was even cooler was Fassbender's David. An android. Without feeling, but with actually some feeling (I believe). He went about his business in this straight faced, well postured gait with his wee flip flops on. Dying his hair to match that of some old movie star from way back when. He is by far the best thing in it. The next best thing is Rafe Spall. I'd seen his name in the credits and honestly when he was on screen he was good. Quite charismatic, well as much as you can be with a huge toothy grin and geeky glasses. He was like Steve Buscemi's Rockhound from Armageddon. Haha I can hear you spit out your tea at my comparison. Calm down dears! I liked Armageddon. Onto Noomi Rapace. Hhhmmm she was good, lets face it, the film was mostly centred around her. There were times I was thinking to myself "no, it's a bit too much. Draw back a bit". By that I mean she was intense. To the point I felt it was a bit over the top. But, granted, she was performing a self cesarian section so perhaps it was required. Actually, talking of which a guy sitting two seats long from me stumbled to his feet and down the stairs out. He looked like he was going to be sick.

Charlize Theron was all stiff and authoritative. She actually didn't really do that much. Idris Elba's captain was good. Believable.

That's it. Nothing more on stories here. Go and see these movies. They're worth a watch at least.

Angela x

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Five things on a Friday #20

Number twenty. So that means we've been doing this for twenty weeks? Cool. I say we, in that way I hope you're joining in on this!

1) a video of Arthur Boorman, a war veteran in America who wears a back brace and legs callipers. Told he'd never walk properly again. Never give up were his thoughts. The rest.... Well you'll have to watch this video.

 

2) I finally saw The Avengers!! I really enjoyed it. If I had one minor criticism it would be that the fight scene in the middle was about ten. Invites too long, but other than that I loved it. All the characters in one movie. Ace. Robert Downey Jr always steals the scenes he's in doesn't he. He has that x factor. I loved Scarlett Johanson in it too. In fact no, they were all good. Really good. You have to go see it if you haven't already.

3) Prometheus. I saw the trailer again and for someone who has never been into Alien films, this is really exciting me. I can't wait to see. I tweeted that I hadn't seen Guy Pearce (a love of mine since his days as Mike in a Neighbours) in a trailer yet. A few people tweeted me back to say check out The TED video. I YouTube'd it on my return home and WOWSERS, it's such a great idea. No spoilers here but do go and check it out! Rally really good.

 

4) as I type this I'm watching the results of the American Idol final. I hope Phillip Phillips wins! You may remember him from a few Friday Five posts ago. I want to say how much i like Jennifer Lopez on this show too. She seems really down to earth. And of course she's stunning too.

5) my nephews Ryan and Connor. They really do bring joy to my life. A joy I couldn't possible find elsewhere. I stopped in on my way home from spin class to be told Ryan has chicken pox. I've never had it! Connors face was Brit red too, but that was due to him running riot, chatting the hind legs off a donkey and generally being hyper. He'll calm down soon...I hope. If only you could all meet them. I know they'd bring you joy too. The joy that only two cute little ginger brothers can bring. Awesome little people.

Angela x

 

 

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad


 

Cinema: an escape

Getting a Cineworld monthly cinema card was the best idea I've ever had. It costs £14.99 per month and you can go to the cinema every day if you wish. There are extra charges for 3D movies but who likes those anyway. Personally all I get from 3D movies is a sore head. I wear glasses to see every day and so going to the cinema and putting 3D glass on top of my regular glasses is not the most appealing idea. Besides, of the few 3D movies I've seen I can't say my experience was enhanced by the 3D-ness or indeed that lack of it because lets face it less than half the film you can't actually tell if its is in 3D or not.

Anyway, that wasn't what it a showing to talk about. When I go to the cinema and see a movie it's like a form of escapism from the outside world. It's a chance to sit in a big dark room and watch a movie. I rarely choose to see a movie if it doesn't appeal to me. A recent example is The Artist. I have no desk whatsoever to go and see a black and white movie in which no one talks. I mean, seriously, is it really that good?... It doesn't appeal to me therefore I won't see it. No big deal.

I like all sorts of movies, although I'm not keen on stuff the is too sci-fi inspired. Like Star Warzzzzzzzzzz. Boring. To me that is, you may love them. And that's fine too. I really dislike cinema and music snobs. I like movies that have a story, are gripping sometimes oh and a nice male lead to look at is always a bonus. When people talk about movies and say the dialogue was weak or that the Plot was predicable I don't really get that. I'm not sure i could tell good dialogue from bad, and that doesn't make me a rubbish movie goer. Because like i said for me it's an escape, it's not a lesson in movie making. Of course you're there to see what hopefully will be a decent movie. I kinda like that you can predict the outcomes of some movies, it's all about how the director takes you there that can make the difference. For example, a rom com we know isn't going to be an intellectual adventure is it. But what it can give you is a laugh, a good (or bad) love story and two characters that may or not have a happy ending. Predictable? Yes. Good fun? Probably. Eye candy to look at? Sometimes.

This weekend: The Dark Knight at the IMAX. Woooo.

Movies. An escape for a few hours. Fun, lots. Sometimes it's not but that's OK too.

Angela x

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5 Things on a Friday #5

 Friday again. Five things again. Enjoy.

1. Well I somehow found myself included in a tweet by @bengoldacre and this little ol' blog has had its biggest views since its inception. It was my post is written on Sunday morning whilst watching the Australian open tennis final. There was the story about Facebook tearing families apart which i think is a load of bull. I blogged my thoughts. I think he must've liked it and gave the link in one of his tweets! WOWSERS. So that was quite nice. Downside is the two comments I got on it were anonymous and silly. I kept them there though. I may rethink that strategy. But yeah that was a nice start to the week.
2. Two cinema visits this week. Shame with Michael Fassbender on Monday and The Descendants with George Clooney on Thursday. Shame: an18, lots of nekedness, he doesn't do a lot of talking but a strong performance from Fassnbender. Carey Mulligan was good too but I hate to say it, I'm getting really bored of her. She seems to play the same part in all her movies. Quiet, moody, sad. If I was her i'd take a more upbeat role next. The Descendents: a lovely movie. Clooney is fab as usual, although Oscar-worthy? Not sure. He plays the part well but the youngest daughter 'Scotty' stole the show for me. So funny and exactly like someone I know when they were wee. I choked up at a few bits so for me that's a good sign that a film has got to me. Two thoroughly different but equally as good films. Oh by the way, Shame is not a first date movie. Just a head up there.
3. Had myself a nice little afternoon tea at a nice little tea room in Glasgow. Kimbles. The tea is by good and they do great hot scones with cream and jam. I have it minus the jam. I've never eaten jam #AngeFact Anyway that's become a regular haunt whenever I'm in Glasgow.
4. Drive came out on Monday. I'd forgotten so never pre ordered it. When I came out the cinema I decided to take a detour to Tesco see if it was in stock. It wasn't, what's that all about? But I did take the opportunity to buy Crazy Stupid Love. Loved that film at the cinema and, of course, you can never have too many DVDs which The Gosling stars in. Noice. For the record, I ordered Drive from amazon and it was delivered today. yay! I'll be having me some of that soon. 
5. Doubled up on spin classes on Wednesday night again. The first one is with Julie. She's so good at taking the class. Really motivating. The second class is with Tim, I think he's a fireman. I know this because he came in with that uniform on.... I'll leave that thought with you just for a minute....*wink*... Anyway, I'm loving the two classes in a row so it's definitely becoming part of my routine. LOVE IT.

That's is for this week. Share yours please?

Wait!!! An extra number 6. I've booked a ticket to see Zach Braff of Scrubs fame at the Kings Theatre in Glasgow. He's bringing a new play that he's wrote and starring in. Can't wait. I liked that film he was in with Summer from The OC. Exciting. 

Angela x

 

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Bucket List - Autumn Winter Edition

You all know about my bucket lists from previous posts, don't you? If not have a look HERE and HERE for a catch up.

I decided that I like the idea of these lists and i'll post them every few months so that you can keep me on track, or shout at me to do them. This is the autumn/winter edition so it'll be themed as such.

1. Beach walks. Yes. In the winter. Bracing wind and crashing waters to blow the cobwebs away.
2. More movies. I think this will always be on the bucket list no matter what season it is. You can hide away from the rainy weather in the cinema and enjoy hot fudge sundaes. What I really want to do is have a movie where we spend all day watching movies, two perhaps three. If you fancy that holler at me!
3. Seeing a Banksy in real life. This could be do-able after Christmas. I feel another little London break is needed. I'm searching for cheap deals now. Actually that's a lie because i'd go back to the same fab hotel I previously stayed at, The Hoxton. 
4. Keep getting fitter and leaner. This is pretty much still on track. This winter i will not sit and eat all the Christmas sweeties. Okay.
5. Wear my little black dress. Surely there has to be an occasion out there that will give me an excuse to take that dress from it's storage rack and throw it on? I have my beady eye on a killer pair of hot pink shoes to go with it too. Woot. 'citing!
6. Do more baking and cooking. I'm actually quite a good baker. I just never sit still long enough to be able to bake stuff. I love Pinterest and people are always posting easy recipes for meals and cakes. Starting with caramel apple bites! Perfect for Halloween.
7. Go on a date!! *scared face* I know, I know this is a strange one. I haven't been on a proper date for a while. A long while. So I'm hoping this autumn/winter will be known as Angela's date season. If you know any suitable candidates, you know where to send them! 

I'll leave it at that just now. Plenty to be getting on with. What about you? What's on your Autumn/Winter bucket list? Spill!

Angela x