Favourite uplifting movie quotes.

Favourite uplifting movie quotes.

Just a quick and short post, whilst I have the time! I feel like I've been in a bit of a slump lately, so I thought I'd do this post that could possibly help out anyone In a similar mood, and in need of a bit of cheering up.

"You is kind, you is smart, you is important." - The Help.

Even though this isn't really grammatically correct, this is actual quote, and I love it because it's so up lifting and refreshing, especially when you need it. The film itself is a tearjerker, but this is just a little feel good quote if you're feeling a little down yourself! You need to remember that you are the most important person in your life, and you need to be your main focus sometimes!!

"Destruction is a form of creation." - Donnie Darko. 

This is from one of my all time favourite films, and this is also a feel good quote in my eyes, be used to me it says that no matter how down you are, or how much you could hate yourself in that time, whatever happens, just makes you a better person in the future. Anything you overcome eventually creates the person that you are today, so by destroying that old self, you're only creating a better you.

"You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love." - The Perks of Being a Wallflower. 

This one is really true, because it isn't love, and it isn't good for you. By putting everyone in front of yourself you're just going to get taken advantage of, and I've come to realise lately that sometimes you have to put yourself first, or you have to stand up for yourself, and there's nothing wrong with that. You can get through life letting people walk all over you, just to fuel your need to feel loved, because that's not love, nor friendship.  

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you can miss it." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off. 

Sometimes life does feel very manic, and I did feel so overwhelmed with exams and work, but after exams had finished and I started to wait anxiously for my results, I did realise this; you cant spend the entirety of your life worrying about something that is out of your control. You also can't spend every minute feeling anxious or down, when you have time to go outside and do something, you really need to embrace it while you can, because we're not young forever.

Top 3: Movie villains.

Top 3: movie villains.

Limited to three, because I'm currently in the progress of writing a 'Top 10 film and TV characters" post! This is going to be short and sweet, because I'm surprisingly very busy lately.

1. Ursula - The Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid was my favourite film growing up, so this was a no brainer, because Ursula was my favourite villain from the very start, so I can't go without mentioning her. Despite terrifying me as a child, her powerful character and lead female villain role makes me love her so much, and the fact that she was such a multi faceted character makers her all the more of a perfect female villain.

2. The Joker - The Batman movies, over time.

Obviously, the joker had to make it on here, varying from Nicholson to Leto, all of them to date have been fantastic. This maniac that is the joker is a fantastic character alone, but all of them are played so differently and in such a unique way, that it's hard not to love. Possibly the most famous portrayal, Heath Ledger has to be my favourite, alongside Jack Nicholson, both of which used method acting, which in turn, did have quite serious effects. However both were fantastic performances, and I can't wait to see Jared Leto's portrayal, after hearing that he would only respond to "Mr.J" on set, I can tell it's going to be interesting.

3. Alex - A Clockwork Orange.

A Clockwork Orange was definitely one of the strangest films I have ever seen, and Alex is definitely the most twisted villain on this mini list, but I couldn't help but feature him due to my unwanted liking towards him. I know the film was very controversial, partly because of audiences loving such a vile character, but it's only similar to characters such as Mac in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, just on a more extreme level. So even though I do feel bad about taking a liking to him, the film was made in such a way that it can't be helped, and I've even found myself speaking like him at times, which I'm not sure if that should be stopped soon...

Top 5: Best Movie Scenes.

My top 5 favourite movie scenes.

1. "Say what again." - Pulp Fiction.

This is probably the most generic scene on this list, but there's a reason for that; it's possibly one of the most memorable, funny and intense scenes in the whole film (besides the basement scene, of course). If you asked someone to quote Pulp Fiction, you'd more than likely hear someone repeating this scene word for word, and it's understandable why. Samuel L Jackson's ability to intimidate on screen combined with Tarantino's auteur style is something to behold, and definitely something unforgettable.

2. "Darling, light of my life." - The Shining.

The simple shot reverse shot structure of this scene makes it all the more intense, with the long shots of Jack manically laughing as he threatens Wendy embedded into it, it has to be my favourite scene in the entire movie. Forget the "Here's Johnny" scene, this is far more memorable in my eyes and has stuck with me since the first time I watched the film.

3. "You met me at a very strange time in my life." - Fight Club.

This could possibly be my favourite out of all the movie scenes on this list, mainly because it has my most favourite song ever in it, and being one of my all time favourite films, I just couldn't ignore this scene. Chuck Palanhiuk, the author of the book which the film is based on, said that the book is "about a man trying to commit to a woman" and I think that is very clear within the final scene, as Marla and the Narrator embrace the world around them going back to ground zero. The song playing non diegetically in this scene just adds to the intensity and overwhelming feeling of relief, as the Narrators life and mental health finally come together, as the crescendo of the song hits.

4.  "That's what's so illogical about being a Smurf." - Donnie Darko.

This simple, yet amusing scene is one out of my many favourite scenes in this film, so it was hard to choose. The comedic aspect of this scene is what made me choose it, as well as it's ability to sum up Donnie, and his strange personality, yet intelligent manner.

5. "Say hi to Rocco and Rocco, mommy!" - The Wolf of Wall Street.

There is many hilarious scenes in this film, but this has to be the easiest to write about without rambling on for hours. DiCaprio and Robbie's onscreen chemistry and banter is enough for a few laughs, but the whole concept of the bear camera is hilarious. The 'ludes' scene is twice as funny, but I thought I'd save that one for another post!

Honourable mentions (written by my boyfriend Josh, since he bought me cookies and sat with me whilst I took nearly two hours to write this post):

• Armageddon - The scene in which Bruce Willis sacrifices himself to save Ben Affleck's character in order to allow his daughter to live a happy life with the man she loves and that he originally dissaproved of is enough to bring s tear to a glass eye including my own. (although I don't have a glass eye)
• The Dark Knight - The scene in the film where we are first truly introduced to the Jokers real criminal mastermind compiled with his psychotic persona. He crashes the meeting of all of Gotham's biggest gangsters and manages to either grab all of their attention or scare them into following him, the same could be said about the audience, the scene only emphasises the tragedy of Heath Ledger's death as I personally would have loved to see this maniacal character wreak havoc again.

TWO HUNDRED PAGE VIEWS - least favourite films of all time.

As I reach this milestone, minor to some, but a milestone either way, I thought I'd write a little post about my least favourite films ever. Not to annoy anyone, but just to give an insight into the type of films I just can't seem to appreciate.

1.  Fast and Furious: Seriously, I have tried my best to watch and appreciate these films, and I just cant. All I see is people driving fast cars and committing crimes, in every single film, where's the originality?
2.  90% of Adam Sandler movies: he's not even funny, and as a child he was for some reason deemed as an appropriate person to put on TV constantly for us all to watch. Unbearable.
3. The Star Wars franchise: I have desperately tried to enjoy these films, for the sake of everyone else in the entire world, but I just can't seem to get into them. Maybe it's because I wasn't raised on them like the majority of people I know, but due to my struggles to enjoy them at this age, I'm going to just give up on them now.
4. The Sharknado movies: I genuinely am struggling to even understand why the concept of a sharknado even exists.
5. Ghost: I was given the option to study this for my A2 film exam, and I couldn't even bring myself to watch the whole thing, shocking is the only word to describe it.
6. The Die Hard movies: not a fan, not at all, sorry.
7. World War Z: I have an unbearable hate for this movie, and that upsets me a lot because I love anything zombie related.
8. Spring Breakers: I can't even think of a basic plot line to sum up the film, it was that bad.
9. Titanic: Yes, I know it's the second best selling movie of all time, but that doesn't make it good.
10. Mission Impossible: This could be biased due to my hatred for Tom Cruise, but the films are shocking and I wouldn't ever want to put myself through watching them again.

Top 3: MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS.

Top three: movie soundtracks.

In no particular order, and my personal opinion.

• Donnie Darko original soundtrack and score.

The scores alone in this movie soundtrack are something different, but Joy Division and Tears For Fears really make it memorable. All of the music fits so well with this quirky movie, and much like the film, it's one I could listen to over and over again. I could be biased since it is one of my favourite films, but I just don't think anyone could dislike the 80's and 90's music, even now. Michael Andrew's scores from the second disc of the soundtrack were also something hard to dislike, Gretchen Ross and Middlesex Times being my favourites, these short snippets of original scores were, and still are fantastic!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AJlfdKck7I&list=PLC2FA0A33304CF3E3

• The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack.

Obviously this ones a bit different, since it is a musical, but the songs are to die for. No matter what mood you're in, there's a song that fits it on this album, and it's my go to for long bus journeys, because it just doesn't allow you to get bored. The film itself was something spectacular, but the music, lyrics and singing to these songs are something else; hearing Tim Curry sing a ballad about being a 'Sweet Transvestite' doesn't get old, and neither does Susan Sarandon's surprisingly amazing singing voice in 'Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MudWYgfwUvA&list=PLOhhrxpnIVS5RU0CDvBUdKEfplM9MpQkZ

• The Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack.

This album right here is my ultimate feel good album, and by far the best soundtrack to ever come from a Marvel film (Deadpool is a very close second!). I could sing along to every word to every song on this soundtrack, because of them all being so well known, feel good hits from the past. 'Come and get your love' and 'Hooked on a Feeling' are unforgettable, and add so much more of an amazing viewing experience to this film. 'Moonage Daydream' by the late David Bowie has become one of my all time favourite songs since watching this film for the first time, and it just makes the soundtrack all the more fantastic in my opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrI-UBIB8Jk&index=1&list=PLpRjkOHBe_TgmznCle__jWDhoV4aFgCjw

Honourable mentions.

• Deadpool.
• The Perks Of Being A Wallflower.
• The Lost Boys.
• The Great Gatsby.
• The Blues Brothers. 

Top five most underrated actors.

The top five most underrated actors, in my opinion. As per usual, in no particular order.

1. Joseph Gordon Levitt.

I don't know where to start with JGL! Such a talented man, both actor, director of his own movie and singer and is extremely under appreciated for all. His roles in 500 Days of Summer, 50/50 and Sin City 2, were all fantastic, and not to forget the Dark Knight either. It's hard to deny he's talented, and lacks a typecast, yet nobody ever seems to praise him, and that's proven by his very few awards and recognition for his work. Winning a Teens Choice Award doesn't compare to an Oscar, but maybe he'll get there one day.

2. Margot Robbie.

I finally feel like she's starting to get the recognition she deserves, since the launch of the Suicide Squad marketing for the new movie, however up until that she was pretty much unheard of, despite big roles in The Wolf Of Wall Street and Focus alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Smith. It does look like she's finally got her big break though, especially with the rumours of getting her own Harley Quinn movie after Suicide Squad is released, and that's before the movie is even out in cinemas, so the future is looking promising for Margot!

3. Ellen Page.

Ellen Page has to be one of the best actress' around, and there's no arguing that she's an inspiration, on and off the screen, especially after her 'coming out' speech at what I think was a Human Rights campaign, and it was fantastic. As well as her confidence off screen, her acting roles from such a young age were so strong and well played, some of my favourites being Hard Candy, Super and Juno.

4. Mark Wahlberg.

I might be told I'm wrong on this one, but I personally think that despite how many years he's been acting and how many roles he's played, he's extremely underrated. Maybe his roles in films like Ted made him less appealing, but I think it just furthered his talent as he refused to have a typecast, and I loved him in films like Pain and Gain, and The Lovely Bones. 

5. Miles Teller.

I have what some might call an obsession with Miles Teller, so maybe that's why he's ended up on this list, but despite that I really don't think he couldn't be any more underrated for how talented he is. Just looking at his performance in Whiplash, he strayed from his typical comedy and blew audiences away with how incredible and intense his performance was in this movie. Ignoring the flop that was the new Fantastic Four movie, he's becoming a more up and coming star, and I can't wait for him to take on more roles like Whiplash, or even 21 and Over.

Honourable mentions.

• Michael B Jordan.
• Chris Pratt.
• Jake Gyllenhaal.

Top 10 best made films of all time.

The top 10 best made films of all time.

A list of the best made films, in my personal opinion.

1. The Shawshank Redemption.

One of the best films I've ever seen and been able to study at college; I'd never seen it before I began studying it for Emotional Cinema this year, but I love it. I wouldn't say it's predictable at all, and the acting is unbelievable.

2. Forrest Gump.

One of the most heartwarming films I've ever seen, I remember the first time I saw it I watched it about five times that week. It's a long film, but it's worth the watch. An unbelievable story and Tom Hanks' performance was definitely worth the multiple Academy Awards and Golden Globes.

3.A Clockwork Orange.

Definitely one of the strangest films I've ever seen, and I have only seen it once. But it's brilliantly made, and had to make it onto the list for how incredible it is. The acting and the mise en scene made this film what it is, because otherwise the storyline would be extremely difficult to pull off and be able to have made it's name as a cult classic.

4.Shutter Island.

Again, very strange film, but 10/10 for best plot twist I've ever seen. Probably been said a million times, but Leo should have got an Oscar for that performance. Like I've said for most of the others, unbelievable performances from all of the actors.

5. The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Just the making of these films is unbelievable, and one of the best book to film adaptations in terms of capturing characters and setting. The mise en scene for these films is absolutely amazing, and even if you find the genre boring, it's worth a watch purely for how its been made.

6. Whiplash.

Fell in love with this film when I saw it, and it instantly made me want to be really cool and talented enough to play an instrument, but no, I'm just not that good. I am adore Miles Teller, so that was a bonus anyway, but the intensity and the relationship between Teller and Simmons was insane. One of the best made films (obviously, it's on the list) in terms of acting that I've ever seen.

7. Pulp Fiction.

I've talked about this film before, and how brilliantly made it is, and that's exactly why it's on the list. Most Tarantino films are fantastic in terms of cast, narrative and mise en scene, but this one in particular just shines out to me. The editing especially, just makes the film such a pleasant viewing experience and it's one of the best films I've ever had the pleasure of watching.

8. Gone Girl.

Another crazy film with a crazy plot twist. The storyline in this film is immensely entertaining, and the acting is unbelievable, especially for Ben Affleck. Neil Patrick Harris also breaks his typecast, and that's shocking, yet amazing to watch.

9. The Help.

I very nearly bawled my eyes out at this film, the performances were stunning and I haven't seen a more influential film since this one. Such a powerful film, and definitely something everyone should watch.

10. Jurassic Park.

Even though I've watched it so many times it's not exactly thrilling anymore, there's no denying it's brilliantly made, especially for it's time with a pretty original storyline. The performance from the actors was fantastic too, and made the film all the more scarier when I was young.

Gender in the horror genre: Hard Candy

Gender in the horror genre and the final girl trope in Hard Candy (David Slade, 2006).

How gender stereotypically represented.

Within the horror genre, men are almost always presented as a killer or monster, or a just as powerful masculine figure, such as a police officer or detective. The men are always the ones to try and save the final girl, even though they often die themselves, but if not, they’re usually the killer of the monster threatening the female victim. This is so that females appear weaker, and in need of men to help them survive, which is why the final girl trope is occasionally seen as a positive for women in the film industry, as she overcomes evil and survives. However, women in horror, especially friends of the final girl, are very often killed for partaking in sexual activity, or drinking and smoking, and are also very often unclothed in their death scenes, in order to give a male gaze and sadistic viewing experience for a male audience. On the other hand, in some films women are the killer, and in lots of films where the monster is un-gendered, they use vagina dentata or phallic imagery to give the monster a gender. In films like Predator, the monster is a vagina dentata, and even in Alien when the monster is phallic, there is still vagina dentata in the structure of the monster, and the aliens are in fact a mix of both. But going back to my previous point about girls being killed for ignoring vices of the final girl, such as being sexually active or taking drugs and alcohol, they're also often killed whilst being sexualised or unclothes. My point is proven clearly in the opening of Halloween, it makes it clear what can get a girl killed in the horror genre, especially because the boy who she had sex with had walked away unharmed and it shows a clear example of the tropes in traditional horror films and where they stem from. 

Hard Candy: enigmatic horror film.

It could be argued that the film doesn’t have a final girl, and I personally agree; Hayley was never a victim of Jeff’s, she only let him believe that, she was always in control and never threatened by Jeff, so despite having some traits of a final girl, like being sexually unavailable and avoiding drugs, she can’t really be seen as the only survivor from the killer, since technically, she is the killer. Obviously this is untypical, and so are the gender roles within the film which add to it being an enigmatic film within the horror genre in terms of gender. The roles are completely switched from a typical horror film, because, in a nutshell, the paedophile is the victim, being tortured by a fourteen year old girl. As well as this, the killer in the film never actually kills anyone, she is clever enough to make Jeff kill himself, without ever actually having to harm him. However, it could be argued that she is a modern day version of the final girl, as she takes a complete twist on the typical character, yet is still technically a final girl. 

Hayley's dynamic character.

Hayley is dynamic in her appearance, especially for the main female character within a horror film. Geena Davis’s Institute of gender in the media shows that within the film industry, 36% of teenage girls are sexualized, whereas only 32% of adult women are sexualized and within this film, Hayley isn’t sexualised once, which is usually a key part of horror, that the main girl at some point is undressed, sexualized and/or vulnerable. This is yet another reason why the film could be seen as enigmatic, as Hayley (Ellen Page) takes on a diverse female role. Due to Hayley not being a stereotypical female in the film, she has to take on other roles and her main role is taking stereotypical male roles for the genre and doing them herself. Her brains and calm being during the whole situation, like mentioned before, are typically male in the genre, as well as her ability to do typically male actions, like tying a noose or performing surgery. As well as this, the investigative role that she plays, is typically a male role, as they’re normally the hero in the form of a police man or detective. After completely emasculating Jeff, like previously mentioned, and her boyish style, combined with her intelligence and calm manners during intense situations, she takes on many typically male traits, which further distances her from a typical final girl in horror films. It could be argued that it's a negative gender representation because of her taking on male roles, however the fact that she's able to take on different gender roles and be multifaceted is definitely a positive in my opinion.
 

Jeff's dynamic character.

Within the media, and horror films, men are usually the dominant figure, and this is different in Hard Candy, as Jeff is portrayed as weak and has a lack of control from the start. Men are either the powerful, invincible killer, or the hero who saves the weak female lead. However. in this case the male lead is portrayed as weak, being made to beg or his life and tortured to the point he breaks down all his own walls and tells his own story of childhood abuse. Due to him being so weak, the audience might also start to sympathise with him, which is what makes the film so controversial and dynamic. The paedophile murderer, is presented as the victim, and completely emasculated when Hayley performs a fake surgery to castrate him, causing him to beg for his own life, which is very unlike a male in a horror film, as screaming and begging for your life is a female trait in the horror genre. Jeff’s character is the complete opposite of a generic lead male in the horror genre, as he lacks any form of power or masculinity.

TOP FIVE: TV shows.

TOP FIVE: TV SHOWS.

American Horror Story.

Even though the latest season (Hotel) isn't on Netflix yet, it's still worth a watch. Each season keeps the most of the same cast, but they play different characters in different periods of time or places. My favourite season up to date has to be Freakshow or Murder House, but Freakshow definitely was a bit too gorey and was more over the top than the other seasons. Murder House was the first season, and I've watched that twice now because I enjoyed it that much. The second season was Asylum, which is confusing and strange at times, but the main storyline definitely makes it worth watching. Third season was Coven, and it seemed very stereotypical teen TV programme, almost Sabrina the Teenage Witch like, but I did still enjoy it. Freakshow, like I said, was my favourite; the characters and casting in this season was absolutely perfect. I haven't watched Hotel yet as it isn't on Netflix, but it looks amazing from what I've seen on Tumblr and Twitter.

Sons of Anarchy.

I've almost finished this show, and I can honestly say it's one of the best shows I've ever seen. It's not generic, predictable or cringey; I am constantly being surprised by it, and it's even made me tear up once or twice. I won't give out any spoilers for it, but it follows a man who's father owned a motorcycle club, but has now died and the gang has turned to other ways to make money besides just working at a car garage. It's hard to explain too much without spoilers, but it's worth the watch.

The Walking Dead.

I absolutely adore this show, and I have ever since I first started watching it. Some seasons were pretty slow, I do admit, but it's always worth it. I have cried sooo many times! The casting in this show is unreal, honestly; most characters fit the appearance and personality of the ones in the comics. And if you've read the comics, the storyline does differ so there's no spoilers there. I've lost count of how many seasons there is, but it's still going strong and just keeps getting better in my opinion. If you do want to watch it it's available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Transparent.

I watched the entire two seasons of this show in the space of a week, and the only thing I regret is not taking my time because once I was done I felt so lost without it. It's not a  very well known show, as it's an Amazon original, but it's amazing. I'd recommend getting the a free month trial of Amazon Prime just to watch it. The story line is brilliant, and it cross cuts an entire families story lines and each persons struggles. The main character is a trans* man, who finally comes out to his family and everyone else really late on in life, and it shows the struggles of being trans and/or gay in often upsetting, but fairly realistic ways. I wouldn't want to give out too many spoilers, but it's quite emotional at times and often very funny.

Orange Is The New Black.

I think almost everyone who has seen this show loves it, and I can see why - it's fantastic. It's hilarious, gritty, entertaining; it's almost everything you would want from a TV show. It follows a woman called Piper who finds herself in an all women's prison, and as the series go on, you discover other inmates back stories, why they're in the prison and who they are. And even though it's about an all women's prison, the casting is so varied and fits each character perfectly. The shows only downfall is, in my opinion, that as you learn so much about other characters, Piper becomes less likeable and you end up finding favourites in less major characters. But maybe that's just me.

TOP FIVE: Horror Films.

TOP FIVE: Horror films.

Like the 'top five' posts I did before, this is my top five horror films, which will fit into all different sub genres of horror, and could possibly not be considered horrors to some, but personally, I'm categorising all of these as horror. 

(AGAIN, no particular order.)

1. It Follows (David Robert Mitchell, 2014).

I watched this film for the first time quite recently, and it has just the perfect amount of "scary" for it to be enjoyable, and leave me able to sleep comfortable that night. I love the fact that it's a new idea, and not something I've seen before. Many horror films use social fears and present them in the form of a monster, like The Hills Have Eyes or Eden Lake. Yes, vampire films could also be said to be a metaphor for societies fears of STI's and the spreading of them, but I feel like this film is done so differently, and  I like that. Although, the ending was ambiguous and felt like it was cut short. Despite the ending though, I would definitely recommend watching this if you're looking for an unpredictable horror film.

2. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980).

Like I said in my Top Five films post, I adore this film and Nicholson's performance is absolutely fantastic. It's a wonderful portrayal of Stephen King's book, and definitely something to watch if you're wanting a classic, or simply something different.

3. The Amityville Horror (Andrew Douglas, 2005).

If you didn't guess from my Deadpool review (I did try to be subtle), I am in love with Ryan Reynolds, and his performance in this film just makes me love him even more; the intensity of his character is insane, and causes me to watch this remake of the 1979 original over and over again. This is a film for those who like to be scared, and it always makes me jump, time after time.

4. The Babadook (Jennifer Kent, 2014).

This film is one of the most terrifying horror films I have ever seen! I've only been able to watch it full throughout once, and I genuinely struggled to sleep without seeing figures in the dark corners of my bedroom. Honestly, it's terrifying, but the storyline is enigmatic and worth the watch. Despite the young boy being extremely frustrating to watch at times, he redeems himself eventually and makes the film worth watching.

5. The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991).

An absolute classic! There isn't much to say about this one, as I like to rudely assume that everyone has seen it due to its mass following and popularity. It follows a detective played by Jodie Foster who seeks help from Hannibal Lecter, and despite my personal disliking to Foster, I could watch this film over and over.

Film Review: Talk To Her.

FILM REVIEW: Talk To Her (Pedro Almodovar, 2002).

Originally titled, Hable Con Ella, I am currently studying this film for my A2 Film Studies exam and felt that reviewing it would help gather clear thoughts on the film in terms of 'empowered women in world cinema', and be used as a revision technique.

When first watching the film I got the impression that I should have been bored from the start, but I actually got really interested almost instantly, with the character of Benigno definitely intriguing to me from the start, and finding Lydia empowering one minute, then disempowered the next, I just wanted to keep watching to try and make sense of the film. 

It's definitely a good film to use as a counter argument for Empowered Women in my exam, but there is some points that could be used supporting empowerment; Lydia's multi faceted lifestyle and personality, being portrayed as a beautiful, popular woman, who also takes on a typically masculine role as a bullfighter makes her extremely enigmatic and empowered. However, spoiler alert, when she let's the bull put her into a coma purely for El Nino, I felt like her empowerment went straight out of the window. Earlier in the film El Nino's friend said "She'd let the bull tear her apart if it meant you'd see", and that's exactly what she did.

Benigno and Marco's friendship is so disempowering for the women on screen, as they both have full control of Alicia and Lydia and both, especially Benigno sexual and take advantage of the powerless women. The use of the friendship also results in a warmer feel for Benigno, as we associate ourselves with Marco and eventually start to feel sorry for Benigno before we take the time to real how twisted he actually is.

The cross cutting and non-chronological order of the film definitely makes it a more intriguing viewing experience, as you're not entirely sure of any character until you're pretty far into the film. Despite the dark themes in the storyline,the empowering references to Franco's era in Spain via the Opera and Alicia's fighting nature, with Lydia's powerful lifestyle, the women in the film can be seen as mostly empowered, except when they're given passive roles, which eventually do lead to them being empowered, most of the time. This film is definitely half and half in terms of empowered women, and I can see why some people didn't enjoy it, but personally I did.

TOP FIVE: Favourite Songs.

Another Top Five, this time favourite songs.

Again, in no particular order because that would be practically impossible.

1. Pixies - Where Is My Mind.

I remember hearing this song for the first time by just stumbling across it on Youtube probably over a couple of years ago, and despite listening to it hundreds of times and driving my family and friends crazy with it, I still absolutely adore it. I wasn't particularly in the best place when first hearing this, and despite not having what most would see as heartfelt lyrics, it definitely spoke to me. It also lead me to finding the film Fight Club, which would have made it onto my Top Five films if I had watched it enough times to warrant it's place on the list. Placebo's cover of this song would also be on this list if it wasn't the same song, if that makes any sense at all, but it's also just absolute perfection. Since hearing this song an obsession with the Pixies definitely blossomed, and other songs of theirs would make it on this list if I didn't feel so repetitive doing so. 

2. Arctic Monkeys - Only Ones Who Know.

Not a particularly well known song from the band. but in my opinion, it's one of their best. It's not their typical upbeat song, but the slow rhythm and romantic lyrics are definitely different to their usual themes. There isn't really any significance in the lyrics to me, I just genuinely like the song and love to sing along to it.

3. Radiohead - Creep.

I absolutely adore this song! As melancholic as it is, it just speaks to me, especially when I was in my strange 'finding myself' stage at thirteen, but ever since then it's just stook. The lyrics are pretty relatable for someone with low self esteem, and even though I've changed a lot and I'm a much more confident person, the song itself is still pure brilliance. Most would disagree because of it being so slow and "mopey", but I love it so much it's made it onto my Top 25 Most Played on my iTunes, which says something due to how much music I have on there and how often I just let it shuffle.

4. Bright Eyes - First Day Of My Life.

This song is one of those songs that every couple has, and that's probably about as much detail as I'll go into for this. I absolutely adore it and it really means a lot to me. The video is also worth a watch too, absolutely adorable.

5. Beyonce - Pretty Hurts.

Another, meaningful when lacking self esteem song, which is a regular theme in my confidence lacking days which are fairly common. This is different to all the others on the list, but I do love to listen to similar artists regularly, it's just that this one has meaning and I listen to just as much as other songs on the list. 

TOP FIVE: Favourite Films of All Time.

As one of my first posts I felt like it would be necessary to do a couple "Top Five" posts to give a sense of what I like and what sort of things I will be posting, so I thought I'd start with my 'Top Five Favourite Films of All Time."

(IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, that's just too difficult.)

1. Pretty Woman (Garry Marshall, 1990)

Pretty Woman has to be my all time favourite 'typical girly film', and I'm not particularly a massive fan of chick flicks or rom-coms, but this is definitely an exception. I watched it for the first time when I was pretty young, and got fairly obsessed with it, then last year I studied it in AS Film and really got to know the film inside and out. It is definitely a very predictable storyline, but Julia Roberts and Richard Gere really play the parts perfectly, and provide audiences with romance, comedy and a pleasant viewing experience. The whole lacking of independence and reliance on men theme does bug me slightly, but despite this it's just a great film, especially if you're looking for a typical cliche filled girly film without cringing at today's romcom cinema.

2. Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001)

I remember in my early teens I used to see gifs of this on Tumblr alllll the time, and one day I decided I needed to watch it, and when I did I'm pretty sure I ended up watching it multiple times the same week. I absolutely fell in love with it, which was strange at the time because I had never really been into 'indie' films. The peculiar storyline, dark themes and soundtrack all intrigued me and stole my attention away; I ended up googling the meanings behind the story line, downloading the soundtrack and watching youtube videos to explain the film to me, I was hooked. The film was also a shared interest between myself and my boyfriend when we first met, being one of his favourite films too it created so much more interest in the film and resulted in me watching it an unbelievable amount of times since discovering it a few years ago.

3. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Jim Sharman, 1975)

Watching this film for the first time as a young child I remember thinking how strange it was, and it wasn't until I was in my teens that I actually began to appreciate how fantastic it actually is. If I could see any movie in an actual theatre, it would definitely be this one, because on screen it's definitely a one of a kind film, so to see it live would more than likely be unbelievable. The acting, mise en scene, and soundtrack absolutely make the film, and I couldn't think of any ways in which they could be improved. Tim Curry played an absolutely incredible Frank-N-Furter, a part that I could never believed would be played by him until I saw it. Curry, Sarandon and Bostwick played the lead roles like you wouldn't believe and they definitely made the film so spectacularly unique that it made it into my all time favourites.

4. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)

Another film that I first watched at a young age and absolutely loved, this has to be my all time favourite horror film. From being a child my dad introduced me to various different horror films, varying from Hammer Horror to Stephen King, and this just so happens to be one that I loved more than the others. I read multiple King books throughout my teens, Carrie being my favourite, but the film, neither the original or the multiple remakes, really did it for me, but The Shining is a film I could watch hundreds of times over. This was my first time seeing Nicholson on screen too, and he was what really sold the film to me; Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Jack Torrance was perfection, creating such suspense and was definitely Oscar worthy in my opinion.

5. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)

I absolutely adore Tarantino, so this film being in my top five is no surprise to most, but I just had to put it in this list because of how many times I've seen it, and still continue to watch it. The multitude of fantastic actors, the film making and mise en scene make the film so much more watchable, as the storyline alone could be seen as not particularly enigmatic. Nonetheless, I still love the film, and the viewing experience is almost unique, as a film like this is so hard to find, with action, humour and sophisticated performances from all the cast.

Film Review: Deadpool.

I went to see Deadpool with extremely high expectations, after patiently awaiting for it to be released since it was announced. At first, I thought all of the teaser trailers and posters released before the film would ruin the film for me, however before the opening credits of the film were finished I was already laughing. 
                                          
The humour, breaking of fourth wall and intertextual references throughout the movie, alongside Reynold's acting made the film absolutely perfect. It's fair to say that Ryan Reynold's was made for the role, and it was an immense step up from the X Men Origins weak portrayal of Deadpool, or his role of Green Lantern, which made it hilarious when both were mentioned during the movie. 

Despite the fairly predictable ending, where he gets the girl, the film was absolutely fantastic. The obvious fairytale-esque love story plot line was a useful plot device in order to introduce Deadpool's character, by giving him means to create his first onscreen appearance to it's full potential besides purely beating a bad guy. So, the storyline was just like any other superhero film, but the introducing of the character and portrayal were top class and hilarious, it's definitely a film I could watch over and over.