BST (Taken with instagram)
"It’s bizarre to me when people say, ‘You play unlikable characters, you’re so brave.’ That’s what’s real, humanity - that’s what’s out there. I don’t know why but society lives in this dream world where women are only two things: amazing mothers who never do anything wrong or prostitutes. That’s it. It’s the Madonna/whore complex - or it’s assumed that women can’t be as complicated or as conflicted as men. It’s not true. There are millions of women like Meredith [in Prometheus]. We just don’t acknowledge them. I don’t think anyone sits down with Robert De Niro and says, ‘You play strong guys.’ But in many ways, we do it to ourselves, we don’t want to acknowledge the truth of who we are."
— Charlize Theron, You Magazine , June 2012.
Films, change, and more films.
Haven’t posted anything other than photographs for a while so thought I’d ramble a bit about some of the things that have been going on lately. As of pretty recently my boyfriend moved out of his family home to live with his brother and his wife in Manchester. It’s been more difficult than I first comprehended not seeing him during the week but I enjoy spending my weekends with him. Plus, every other weekend I get to see Manchester which is where we both want to live together at some point in the near future. It’s hard because I hate change. Change sucks. But we both want to live outside of our hometown together in the future and this is the first step towards making that a reality so I am all for it, however hard it’s going to be.
Nothing has really changed on the university front as I’m still drafting my research proposal. I have struggled with it if I’m honest. Trying to bring something completely new to the body of knowledge is a daunting task. I have a great supervisor, though, whose helped me to refocus my initial ideas into something that I can get my teeth stuck into. The process associated with the proposal of my work is pretty arduous and slow-moving so I feel like I’m doing a lot of waiting around. I’m always searching for new texts and films to incorporate into my work. I suppose that’s one of the perks of studying film at university - I can never really watch a film without thinking how it can relate to my thesis in some way.
In other news, I’ve recently watched a few new films which are worthy of a mention, at the very least. Ever since I saw The Reader a few months ago, I have been exploring various other films starring Kate Winslet. She is quite extraordinary and by no means your typical Hollywood actress, particularly in the diversity of roles she has played. I was eager to watch Revolutionary Road after hearing much about it and it did not dissapoint. I find that Winslet comes so close to an emotional truth in her roles, so much so that it takes me a few days to recover from her performances - as was the case with both The Reader and Revolutionary Road. Titanic 3D was awesome too, not because it was screened in 3D but because it was the first time I’d seen it on the big screen. It was an experience to say the least. Holy Smoke, a Film4 and Jane Campion production, was another fascinating and vibrant performance by Winslet. There is one particular scene where, Sarah (Winslet), is driving in the Australian dessert and singing along, totally unabated, to Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know. This is one scene in the film, amongst many others, that focus on the strength and power of Sarah’s character. She has the freedom to express herself through music and movement, completely undisturbed by the prying eyes of anyone except for us as spectators. It’s a brilliant scene in a brilliant film.
Little Children is another fascinating depiction of life in American suburbia and another truly exquisite performance from Winslet. I really loved the narration as it reminded me of The Shawshank Redemption and American Beauty. It’s great to have an omniscient voice talking you seamlessly through the action on screen but when you take a moment to think about the scopophillic pleasures you get from watching the supposed private lives of the characters, there is something almost sinister about it. Also to note about this film: Kate Winslet makes dungarees look hot. The Skin I Live In, starring Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya, is a beautifully chilling Spanish film. I could write a lot about it but this post is going on a bit anyway so I’d better leave that for another day. 
Another important landmark event in my life right now is that Kelly Clarkson has finally announced the dates for her UK tour. I am surprised to find that it is an arena tour this time which I don’t think she’s done in the UK since her Breakaway tour. I am sad in a way because I’ve enjoyed watching her perform at the Manchester Apollo for her last two tours which is a really intimate and original venue but it’ll be awesome to experience the atmosphere of a bigger venue again.
I’ve also noticed that the image I posted yesterday of my Ghibli DVD collection has got quite a number of likes and reblogs which is always nice. Ghibli is something I probably wouldn’t have discovered if not for my boyfriend suggesting we try it out on LoveFilm. We first watched Ponyo together and have been watching them ever since. They are such beautiful stories that bare no resemblance to anything I’ve ever seen before. The fact that the texts are very feminist also go down very well with me too. My boyfriend and a couple of friends of mine completed my feature film collection for my birthday, of which I am very proud. We still have four to see. 
Thought I’d post about this little creature who until very recently had disappeared in the garden of our family home. I think she’s been missing about 6 or 7 months, maybe more, after she escaped from her outdoor enclosure. We thought she’d gone forever and feared the worst considering the really snowy and frosty conditions we’ve had over Winter this year. However, one sunny day last week whilst my Dad was mowing the lawn, Small appeared moving around in the soil at the very back of the garden!
Still can’t believe she’s reappeared but I have heard of tortoises escaping only to return weeks or months later. She’s settled in really well after her long vacation and you can tell she’s returned as there are no bananas in the house for us humans!
I came across this video on the BBC News website earlier today. I am eager to see this film not only because it is Jolie’s directorial debut but because of the passion and love she has for the art of film-making, and for the people whose lives she is re-presenting in her film.
So, in English right now we have to write our own poetry after reading tons and tons of amazing poetry by amazing and spectacular poets… which can kind of make your’s feel poopy… But, I liked this one that I just wrote, so I thought I would throw it out to all you LitSluts.
“Neverland”
By…
Just lovely, this. Wish I could write poetry but for now I’m content with just reading it.
"Jeff is once again asleep, in the same position as he was in the film’s opening, and Lisa, after assuring herself that he is not watching her (in contrast to former times when she had worked so hard to attract his gaze), puts away his book and picks up her own magazine. As important as this gesture is, even more important is the fact that the film gives her the last look. This is, after all, the conclusion of a movie that all critics agree is about the power the man attempts to wield through exercising the gaze. We are left with the suspicion (a preview, perhaps, of coming attractions) that while men sleep and dream their dreams of omnipotence over a safely reduced world, women are not where they appear to be, locked into male “views” of them, imprisoned in their master’s dollhouse"
— Tania Modleski, (1988), The Women Who Knew Too Much: Hitckcock and Feminist Theory, p.85.
“Take it away, Ernie!”
April 5, 2012.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour, London.
What an amazing experience this was! My boyfriend and I received the tickets as a gift from my sister for Christmas - a gift I will never forget. It was such an awe-inspiring day and, at times, very overwhelming.
Every detail - from the shuttle bus from Watford Junction to the ice-cold Butterbeer - however small, made the day an unforgettable and incredibly authentic experience. I could write quite a hefty blog entry regarding the whole day but it would be unfair to spoil it for those who are planning to go or would really love to go!
All I will say is that I feel privileged to have been witness to the astounding abilities of all those who have worked to build the world of Harry Potter. Considering everything that was made for the films - from each of the thousands of props to the incredibly life-like sets - were created from the fictional world described in a book, really demonstrates the power of the written word as well as the talent and vision of all those who brought this magical world to life.
Each of the staff members who worked there, from the cashiers at the gift shop to the tour guides, were all lovely people and always very helpful. I recommend this experience to anyone who loves Harry Potter and also to anyone who has a love for film and its production.
I will always remember this day for so many reasons but probably most notably because it provided an experience which amplifies the art of film-making by giving film audiences a chance to learn and understand the intricate processes which make this medium such an absolute wonder. It has certainly reminded me why I will happily spend the rest of my life studying the art of film.
