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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Perks and Being a Wallflower

On Sunday I saw The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The movie starring Emma Watson, post Harry Potter. It's based on the book by Stephen Chbosky, and in fact he directs here as well. I'm not even halfway through the book yet but i wanted to see this film for so long. I haven't seen a film like this that consumed the whole of me from the start. The writer/director cares about these characters and you can tell.

It deals with being a teenager and all that goes along with that. You know the usual stuff, death, first love, bullying, mental illness and trying to find a group of friends who like you because you are just, well, you. The beautiful wonderful YOU. Yes, even you.

Oh my god. I cried. I cried some more. And I cried again. It was so moving. The main character Charlie, 15, was beautifully played by Logan Lerman (a new kid on the block, well i certainly haven't seen him in anything before). He managed to capture the character of a Charlie, the wallflower, perfectly. I was with him the whole way through, routing for him. Emma Watson as Sam and Ezra Miller as Patrick (Nothing) are also very well cast. There are parts that are so uplifting my heart swelled and I teared up again. Honestly, it's not a morbid film or anything but the way you get to know the characters and the way Charlie narrates the story too... wonderful.

It got me thinking. About me, being a wallflower and all. There were even a few lines in it that i'm going to type up, print off and read them every morning in the hope of instilling some sense of self worth. It made me think about where i stand just now, where I want to be and how i'm going to get there. Even down to the people around me who like me, just for being me, and well enough to want to spend time with me. Very few and far between I might add. I couldn't help think that Charlie was lucky because here he was, still in high school and he appeared to have found those people. Real good people.

I have to mention the music. It plays a big part. It drives the film along nicely too. The 'Infinite' song really made me heave a sob at the end. In a good way.

In a way that I was reassured about Charlie* and his future. *Me.

Angela x
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TDKR

The Dark Knight Rises. Wowsers, I loved it. As usual there'll be no spoilers here.

The opening weekend has been a little bit marred by a lone gunman entering a cinema in Colorado and mindlessly shooting people. Dick. Ban guns. All guns. You don't need those sorts of guns to protect yourself. End of.

Anyway, back to the main event. I saw TDKR at the IMAX. I had a great seat two rows from the back. I imagine a front row seat of the IMAX could be sore on your neck and or your eyes.

It starts with a stunning scene filmed high above the Highlands. Inverness area to be precise. No visual effects here, all performed by real stuntmen. Spectacular. That's as far as this post will go with the story. I'll not spoil it. 

Bale was his usual cool self. His Batman is deep, lonely, wanting, noble, a fighter, a force for good, just one really good Batman. To me anyways. I haven't really seen other ones. I was never into that other set of films with Michael Keaton et al.

It's hard to describe scenes without giving too much away, so i won't. I was surprised by how much I liked Ann Hathaway's cat burglar woman Selena Kyle. Albert (Sir Michael Caine) looks older and it fitted well with the story, since we are now 8 years on from The Dark Knight. Master Wayne is a recluse. His body and mind battered, bruised and scarred by his previous exploits. Commissioner Gordon is hiding a few secrets too all the while still seeking out The Batman. Enter the new baddie, Bane. Bane (as you'll all have seen no doubt) wears a mask. A mask that hides most of his face and gives him this robotic-type voice, but it's all in Bane's eyes... He's a formidable enemy. We have a young buck on the block called Blake. What a mouthful that was, and a pure accident! Yes, Blake. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (from Inception and 10 Things I Hate About You and 50/50 and 500 Days of Summer) to be exact. I've always loved him in movies. He outwardly appears young both as himself and as Blake, but as Blake he grew and his story is a nice addition to. 

In TDKR, Nolan has given us endings to stories. He's tided up loose ends (cliche alert). There are some stunning visuals and the pace quickens up towards a climax. It crept up on me mind you and i was sat there at one point thinking oh my god, this is too tense! heart beating ten to the dozen.

In short I loved it and am so glad I went to see the previous two films last week on the big screen. I'm going to go back for a second viewing, so good it was. I hope that you're familiar with the previous two films and have seen them recently before you see this. It'll make it all the more special.

Go see.
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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5 Things on a Friday #10

Ok ok I'm again a little bit late with this post. It is Sunday after all. But here goes.

1) my cake baking skills came into their own last week. I baked two batches of cupcakes and decorated them. Then I quickly rustled up some of my famous mars bar ay bake cakes. Tasty, tasty, very very tasty, they're very tasty!

2) Linda came back to work after he maternity leave. Just for two days a week but the place is so much brighter with her around. We can go back to our laughs and sayings for the book we'll eventually write. It'll be called. Shit Administrators Say... ;)

3) had another two cheeky days off. They're not really cheeky. I do actually deserve (and need) them. I w meant to only have Friday off but I took Thursday off too. It was my birthday on Tuesday and well, it didn't go to plan so I took time out.

4) I got to spend time with Connor on his own without Ryan. He's funny and charming and has a killer wit for a two year old.

5) I saw This Mean War this week. I like a rom com, I'm a girl after all. It actually was pretty funny at parts and was a surprise. Tom Hardy is so lovely, even with his wonky teeth (all part of his charm). I wonder if this will be a film he will regret making. Maybe not but with his roles being more of a serious nature I was pleasantly surprised at his comedy value. Did I also mention how hot he is? He is. It was a good rom com with a bit of action, not real action but some. Reece Witherspoon is her usual smily, blonde, beautiful self. Does she ever look bad? I don't think do. Worth a watch.

Angela x

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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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Thursday thinking and Tuesday blues

So much to think about just now. Haven't blogged for a few days. There'll be my usual Friday Five tomorrow. I have got a post lined up on another of my favourite photo apps, Camera+. I did have it set to go live last night then i noticed someone else done a post on the same thing so for now I'm holding it back.

I feel a bit bleurgh just now due to eating too much chocolate fudge and sweeties whilst sitting in the cinema for an hour on Tuesday night and not a film to be watched. Disaster. Well, maybe a bit annoying really. Booked tickets to an RBS Film First preview screening of Haywire. It was at the Odeon on Lothian Road in Edinburgh. I met Karlie for a lovely catch up lunch at Illegal Jacks, went for a wander around then headed to the cinema around 6.15. I handed over my ticket. He never checked it against my bank card, which they're supposed to do to make sure you are who you say you are. Anyway I headed in and it was screen 3, small screen which was already half full. I sat in the back row. I like to sit quite high up so I can see the screen properly through my glasses. Anyway, I opened my crisps and ate them. It was now full. I swigged on my juice. The lights went up. The lady told us due to demand that more people had turned up than they thought would and RBS generally over subscribe the screens in case no one turns up. I suppose it's a good idea in principle but in January when its cold and people have less money of course they're going to go along to a free cinema screening.

Anyway we moved into screen 2 which was much bigger and sat down. I opened my chocolate fudge ate a few pieces, then a few more. The music suddenly came on over the system. By now it was 6.45 and the film should have started. About 5 minutes later the lights came up and the lady came in again to say the film would be another 10 minutes (7pm) as it was taking time to load onto the servers. (Is this how they do films these days?)...

7.10 still no film. We were now onto All Saints greatest hits album over the speakers. People were getting tetchy. I saw a few people go out and then come back in. A lady told a few people what she'd been told and they got up put their jackets on and were leaving. Around this time i was tweeting and sending comments to the RBS facebook and twitter pages. Someone else who was in the same cinema was doing the same. A reply came via Facebook that they were trying to find out what was happening. After about another good 10 minutes I decided I was leaving. My plan was to watch the film and be out to catch the 8.38 train home to Stirling. If the film only started now I would be catching the 9.38 train and not getting home til gone 11pm. I decided to cut my losses and leave and a few others did too. It didn't really matter to me. I can see the film free on my Cineworld card but still, that wasn't the point. By the time i got out (with a free cinema ticket from the lady at the door, but no explanation) i decided to try and run to Haymarket. It was no use. I wouldn't make it so i double backed on myself and walked along a creepy empty Princes Street to Waverley. By now too my phone was completely dead. I had the iPad but its Wifi only. I arrived at Waverley with 40 minutes til my train was leaving - the 8.33pm. I managed to log onto The Cloud wifi - 15 minutes free. Then headed for the train. Good job i had my wee iPod to keep me company. I'd have looked like a right knob sitting with the iPad out listening to music haha.

That was a longer post than i'd planned. I bought more Haribo sour cherries tonight and have eaten half the packet already so you can imagine how bloated i feel. Spin class tomorrow though and i'm going to totally blast it. Friday night classes are my favourite. Oh and i'm double dipping on Wednesday. Two classes back to back from 5.45pm til about 8. Phew. My thighs will definitely look like Chris Hoy's at the end of this. Or maybe Cav's.

Angela x

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Five Things...

So I opened up twitter this morning and there was the usual mix of morning/breakfast/exercise/travel/weather tweets. If you can navigate your way through this river of greige, you can always find a few gems hidden. Like, there was also the much tweeted link to the little ditty played by Zoe Dechanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I decided to watch it and it was sweet and nice. I've followed both people here, well over on Twitter, for a while. They're quite good value.

In addition there was a post over here by @Whatleydude. Have a read. I decided that I'd try the five things list on this blog, after all, yesterday in my Mission 2012 post I did say that I'd like to get this blog going again, make it huge, and we all know I like a list! So here it is... Except it's not quite five things, it's from the past year so it'll be a little longer than five. Next week will be the five things list. Ok enough. Let's go...

•  Multicolour trousers - mostly from Topshop. Awesome. 
• Ryan starting school and getting on fine, what a relief. 
• Meeting Miss Laura Woods. An amazing person and friend. Also on that same trip south in February I met lots of Twitter people who really we're lovely. It can happen. 
• Getting fitter and losing weight. 
• Hello size 8 little black dress. Okay dresses. Plural. I bought two! 
• Three beaches in one day with Surfpunkian. Awesome awesome day. Thanks dude. 
• Finally meeting MisAKis. Fun, bubbly and lots of great stories about social media 'darlings'. Haha laughed so much. 
• My first Illegal Jack's. I'll be back. I did. A few times. 
• Loving painting my nails. With glitter! Me! Glitter! WOWSERS how times have changed. 
• Cycling 55 miles from Glasgow to Edinburgh. Fantastic feeling. 
• Giving blood for the first time. 
• Becoming unofficial aunty to baby Kai. Gorgeous. 
• Weekend cinema trips. A sanctuary. The cineworld card has been a godsend for me. 
• Favourite movies: Drive. Sherlock Holmes. 50/50. The Hangover part II (obviously). 
• Elemis skin nourishing body cream. Smells gorgeous and keeps my skin soft and err nourished. 
• Twitter. My love affair with it will never end. Not for the foreseeable future anyways. 
• Baking cupcakes. Several good attempts. 
• Seeing brilliant Twitter friend @pyllon finish one of his races. I was going to say "for the first time" but what I'd mean is I saw him race for the first time. He's raced loads. And done very well, thank you very much. These are no ordinary races, oh no, they're across tracked up and down hills and are usually never any less than about 50 miles!! No mean feat. 
• Meeting Miss Karlie MacGregor. A wonderful person. Damn straight. 
• My love of spin bike class. I can't miss any now. Except I am right at this minute missing one, but you get what I mean. 
• Seeing Mr Neil Fox (@drgonzolives) perform at the Edinburgh Festival with his fab Great Brain Robbery comedy mates. What a laugh! 
• Finding fabulous blogs to read, like Whatleydude's. I've nearly finished reading all the away back James!
• New Red Converse. Only my second pair in two years. I think I deserve another and I think I found them today! 
• Buying my iPad 2. Finally. Although it may be going on sale soon. I love it but... The screen thing still irks me a little. 
• The joy I had doing my walk with Instagram back in October. Me, my iPhone and Instagram. Walking around Edinburgh. Good day. 
• Taking the boys and my sister to the National Museum in Edinburgh. They had a ball. 
• Seeing Kings of Leon at Murrayfield in June. Sounded just like the cd. Great gig. 
• The Killing (Danish version). I love that programme! 
• My trip to London in April. Three days exploring that fab city. The weather was brilliant too. I'll be back.
• My trip to Philadelphia in August. Ok ok it wasn't the real Philadelphia but Glasgow. The film set for a new Brad Pitt movie. Hope it's good when it comes out. 

So that's a few of my most memorable good things from the past year. Next week it'll be just five things from the week. It'll hopefully be a regular post. If not, shout at me!

Angela x
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Stop December, let's catch our breaths

I did promise I was going to blog more in December but it hasn't happened, as you can see. After my chance meeting with Barry I was all blogged out last week. I couldn't think what to write about and to me it should be natural and not forced. You shouldn't be wracking your brain giving yourself a headache because you must blog four days out of seven in a week. That's not the way I work. Since its getting to mid month I decided I'd tell you a little bit of what I've been up to recently. I've been quite busy to be honest. I finally finished my Christmas shopping at the weekend, phew. Now all I need to do is wrap it all. I quite like that part. Friday I was meant to be going out but it was cancelled, however I ended up spending two hours in a toy shop on a Friday night with mum and dad. We were looking for toys for the boys for their Christmas. We managed to get a few things. It was good.

Saturday I headed into town. Didn't buy much except a few bits from the pound shop. Essentials. You know, like cheap cans of Cola and sweeties. At night I headed to Edinburgh to meet lovely Karlie MacG. We had a bite to eat at Illegal Jacks then headed to the cinema to see New Years Eve. A proper girls night it was. Chat, about stuff, you know... The film was good. I'd heard a few folk say it was disappointing but I quite enjoyed it. Lots of stories that intertwined like Love Actually, without the posh accents. It wasn't Love Actually but it was about love and new beginnings and forgiving and love. Did I say that already? There was an array of stars in it from Ashton Kutcher to Jon Bon Jovi and an almost unrecognisable Michelle Pfiefer. Hey I even forgot that Zac Efron used to be in high school musical. I liked his character in this film. There were really touching moments as well as moments that made you smile. All round a lovely movie.

Sunday I headed through to Glasgow again. THIS was to be the day when I did finish my Christmas shopping. A few bits from Hamleys and Fraser's and I was done. I headed home in the dusky early evening light.

Monday night I headed to the #XmasEdtweetup that was organised a few weeks ago. It was in Edinburgh in case you didn't know. It was busy and hot with the wearing of my Christmas jumper, but a really good night. There were faces old and faces new, or rather faces I knew but had never met yet. As usual they were a total delight in person, including @Miss_Smidge whose blog I read on a regular basis. Also a treat were the two elves, otherwise known as Fraser and Simon. They gamely took part in the Christmas jumper wearing too. I was torn though. Simon's jumper was fab but Fraser's hat was the best Santa one. Simon's effort was more of a gnome one. Sorry but you know it's true.

Sometimes when you meet the people behind the avatars, you get a surprise because sometimes they are a bit awkward or not very chatty or they are exactly as they appear on Twitter and that's not a surprise but a great delight. The new people I met were totally that, a delight.

I headed home on the train. This time there was no Barry.

My plans now are to get things tidied up at work (almost finished exam processing - yay!) and then finish up on Friday. I'll be heading out to spin class tonight and Friday night too. Then the big day will have arrived. I hope to have a few blog ideas written and typed and published soon too. But they may come to nothing. Ideas are all very well in your head. When you put the words on the screen sometimes they just don't jump out at you. We'll see.

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

What an awesome week!

What a week! Feels like I've been on a whirlwind merry-go-round that i never want to get off but i have. And what i've been left with is a stuffy nose, a dry cough and a throat so tight it's taking all my effort to drink my tea. This week has been filled with fun, excitement, nerves, aching-gut worry, cinema, music, birthday, lunches, dinners, baby and the most excellent friends a girl can have. And mostly all thanks to Twitter, and me of course.

Tuesday saw a long overdue lunch and window shopping in Glasgow with gorgeous wonderful friend Nicola (@Lilacswizzle). I really have to thank her for the much need confidence boost and wise words I would never have thought of under the circumstances. I have so much to thank her for this week, you don't even know!

Later on Tuesday I ventured cross country from West to East to Edinburgh, where I was attending a preview screening of new movie Warrior, via RBS Film First. This time it would be a solo trip as cinema buddies were busy. Panic started to set in on the train when the battery indicator popped up like a looming message of doom... 20% battery left. Argh! how would i find my way without google maps?! How would I check in on FourSquare?! How could i review this movie afterwards and let the whole of Twitter now how it was?! But still i continued to refresh my timeline. The train was nearing the East and the signal is really fucking patchy isn't it. So all I had was the O2 O of doom and no 3G. Panic, panic. I sent out a desperate tweet: Edinburgh, where can i find a bite to eat and (more importantly) a plug to charge my phone?!! Refresh.... Refresh.... Switch off... No signal... BUZZ! a reply! "well @illegaljacks of course. Ask nicely and you might get to charge your phone :)" Yay. I immediately sent a tweet, asking nicely of course, and the reply was yes, it would be waiting. Phew, what a life saver. Safe in the knowledge that my phone would soon have juice in it, i settled back to enjoy the remainder of my journey with plenty in my thoughts. Well as much settling back as you can do on a Scotrail train seat without thinking about all the other heas that have touched that spot where yours is... yes this is what i think about?! *shudder*. I digress...

The train arrived and I made my way to Illegal Jacks. It was a lovely not-quite-autumn-but-getting-there evening, a bit windy but the sun was still shining and embracing me in his warmth. Wandering along the street it occured to me that I seemed to be heading in the complete opposite direction to the masses. Rush hour. There were suits, numerous. All shades of dark. Navy, Grey, Black, Charcoal. Suits. But what I did notice that stood out were the sensible women who'd opted for trainers and suits when running to catch the train. I mused how they must've had a pair of work shoes hidden under their desks like me. Just in case, you know...

Anyway I reached Illegal Jacks and ordered from the menu then sheepishly asked if there was a plug. I was pointed towards the window, sat myself down and plugged in. PHEW! It really is a disaster when your phone runs out of battery but all was now well. A few minutes later my very tasty cajun spiced chicken wings arrived. They were hot, hot hot and spicy hot. Lovely. I sat and recharged and watched the world go by out the window. I do love a good people watching session! I exchanged tweets were back and forth from various people and then what a lovely surprise that Kelly (@Macfack) had dropped by to see me. (She saw i was checked in on FourSquare). We had a wee chat then it as time for me to head to the movie. This was the purpose of my visit afterall. I unplugged, 73% battery should see me right.

I walked along to Cineworld, not too far really, and headed into the cinema. The screen wasn't ready yet so we waited about 10 minutes before being let in. I had a wee chance to think a little. I'm always thinking. I was wishing that i had a companion with me, it would've been nice. Sadly, not this time. They opened the screen and we filed in. I checked in - obviously and tweeted a few people. Then the ads came on and it was time for the film. Thank goodness there weren't any noisy popcorn eaters in my vicinity. It was bad enough on Sunday.

The film began. Warrior. I thought it was about boxing but it was in fact about cage fighting. It was shot nicely and leads were Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte and Joel Edgerton - who you may remember from that Australian programme that used to be on BBC2 years ago, The Secret Life of Us. I loved that show but they never showed it again here. Anyway, Warrior. It was good. It was kinda predictable towards the end but well shot, nicely acted and the emotion caught me a bit at the end. Loved it really. I'd recommend it. Here's the trailer...

Out of the cinema i was a little bit scared walking these strange streets at night. There were one or two people around but as soon as i got back to the train station i was fine. I was freezing cold but. Shivering. And there was still a half hour wait on my train, darn. I was kept company by a few lovely people on Twitter. It's so great for that eh. Soon enough the time passed and my train would arrive on 5 minutes but not on platform 4 like what was on the screen. It always gets moved at Haymarket to platform 2 at the last minute! Grrr very annoying. Anyway the train was warm and I enjoyed a little convo with a totally awesome person via DM. There was something I wanted/needed to tell them but somehow the right words didn't come out. It would have to wait.

Platform clock

I woke on Wednesday with a dry mouth and chesty cough. Bugger it. I was heading out tonight, again! and there was no time for petty ailments. But I smiled when I checked my phone and had a wondrous text. Lovely. headed to work for another busy day answering loads of emails from students and every other thing that needed doing. But i didn't care. For tonight was a surprise do for Lovely Ian, the Surf Punk (@surfpunkian). Today was his birthday!!

The Mayor's Birthday

He'd told me previously he didn't like surprises but i was sure he wouldn't mind this one organised by one of his friends. I left work early at 4 to catch the train and headed through again. Fast becoming a regular jaunt for me. I arrived at Illegal Jacks a little after 6 and a few people were there. He said he was surprised and didn't have an idea. Nice. And he was parading about with a FourSquare Mayor t-shirt, a present from someone. Cool. By such a coincidence, a lovely girl, Andie (@MissAKis) i've followed on Twitter for nearly 2 years was in town with her work and she would be in Illegal Jacks for dinner too. I couldn't wait to meet her and when i finally did she was chatty, bubbly, lovely and such a warm person and a totally brilliant raconteur. Loads of stories. LOADS. Great.

All too soon it was time for me to head to my train and so I said my goodbyes to Andie, she was recounting her days spent in and around Newcastle to the group, and had a little chat and said goodbye to the wonderful birthday boy. I think he had a good birthday...

Heading home i had a few things on my mind. I wanted to kick myself, for a good reason. I wanted to turn back the past few weeks and do a thing differently but you can't can you.

Thursday i woke and was feeling pretty rubbish to be honest. Tired. Knackered. Flu-y. Coughy. Still had work to go to, boo. But i was visiting Linda and baby Kai tonight for a good old gossip and dinner. It was a good night. We had cheesburgers and chips and tea and juice and sticky toffee pudding. A treat indeed. I filled her in on everything from work to me and my past few weeks of fun. All the while Kai snoozed, fed, played on his mat and farted loads. I mean loads. For a month old baby he was farting like an old man. haha so funny and so beautiful. I headed home about 8.30 for an early night but i had a sinking feeling in my gut. You know when you get that? Bleh. I was glad to get to bed that night.

Friday was work and then spin class. And full on flu symptoms. I couldn't even eat the packet of marshmallows i've had for about 2 weeks. What's wrong with me?! I must be sick.
So that dear readers was my full on non stop crazy exciting wondrous gut-achingly massive week. It was emotional...

How was yours?

Angela x

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Movies and Films and Cinemas

I used to be a movie buff back in the day. When i say buff, what i really mean is i used to buy videos, and then DVDs, all the time. My cupboard doors were adorned with movie posters collected from trips to the Showcase cinema at Coatbridge. It was one of the few nights out i used to get back in the dark days. Then i went through a few lean years and rarely visited the cinema at all. But still the DVD collection grew. I like all manor of films but not things like Star Wars nor Star Trek or that ilk. I do have a fair few rom-coms though. As well as low key movies.

Anyway, over the past few months I've taken a liking to going to see films at the cinema and so the other week i decided to get Cineworld Unlimited card. It costs £13.50 per month and you can go and see any film at any time. There are a few exceptions if you're going to see a 3D film but pretty good value. For years there was one grotty cinema in Stirling at Allan Park. It was a bit of an institution but i couldn't tell you th elast film i saw there. Perhaps it was Braveheart... Yes it was. Anyway they built a new Vue cinema down Forthside and its good but it doesn't do the unlimited card and costs quite a bit. I've been a few times and i've never actually seen the place full. People assure me it does sell out some times! So i opted for the Cineworld card. There's one in Falkirk but Glasgow Renfrew Street has been my weekly haunt.

In the past wee while i've seen Blue Valentine, Black Swan, NEDs and Love and Other Drugs.

Blue Valentine is the story of a couple who meet randomly and fall in love. (Isn't it always the way). I'm not going to tell you the way these stories go but this film was pretty intense. Really intense, perhaps even more so because it seems to be filmed really close up to the actors. Is this some kind of different camera or technique? It really made you feel you were there which at times I felt like i was intruding. The performances from Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling were good. Although I couldn't help but think of her as Jen from Dawson's Creek. And how did they get his hairline to recede?... 4 out of 5.

Love and Other Drugs is Anne Hathway as a young woman with Alzheimer's disease and Jake Gylenhaal as a well he ends up being a pharmaceutical sales rep and also manages to look hot all the way through the film. Again another boy meets girl movie, I won't tell you the ending but there was a particularly moving part at one point. A good solid rom-com-drama-thingy. 3 out of 5.

NEDs. Does exactly what it says on the tin. It is what it is. A tough tale of gangs of N.E.D's in a part of Glasgow in the 1970's. For me the boy playing the lead character does a fantastic job. Likeable in a bad way. Directed by Peter Mullan, he also acts in it. He's as menacing as I've ever seen him and i didn't like him (or rather his character). He was a bad nut. The supporting cast, especially John McGill's gang, are ace. There's one scene when the gangs meet to fight and this leader is running across a bridge with 3 inch platform heeled boots and a three quarter length leatherette coat. Too funny. Its violent at times and really sweary so not for the easily offended. For me this wasn't a problem. I've heard some people remarked that its too over exaggerated but i don't think so. If people think this kind of thing didn't or doesn't go on between gangs, they should take a trip to the real world some time. Excellent film. 5 out of 5.

Black Swan. Mad, darkly filmed intense, traumatic, gruesome at parts. Its certainly unique in that way. I came out thinking I'd been through the wringer. Natalie Portman gives a fine performance as a starved and mental ballet dancer. Mental probably because of her exhaustion and starving (although it doesn't show you much of this). I watched this the day after I saw NEDs and i have to say this to me was more gruesome. Mainly because of the close up shots of her bending and stretching her toes, ripping the skin from her fingernails, pulling black feathers from her back and cracking almost every bones in her body. The experience was heightened by the accompanying sound effects. There were parts that were a tad...intimate.. but you should be able to put up with that! The boys will like it, if you're into really skinny girls who are a bit mad. It was a good movie, worth seeing but not one I'd go out and buy. 4 out of 5.


Angela xx