The Golden Age

I have always believed Cate Blanchett to be an extraordinary actress and now that belief is confirmed. 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' is outstanding, it is a masterpiece for the eyes and the heart. A story of two rulers, two faiths and two empires. This film sees 'the rise of a great empire and the fall of another.' Elizabeth I was the first Queen of England and my did this film do her justice. A strong woman, a smart woman who longed to be loved yet she knew it was too much to ask as Queen. Before her reign, England was divided religiously, one ruler after the next either Catholic or Protestant. When she took the crown she had a mountain to climb to unite this country yet she did it with passion and substance.

In 1585 Phillip of Spain dominates Europe and his biggest conquest is yet to come with the Spanish Armada. Yet one woman stands in his way; the Queen of England; Elizabeth. One of the most powerful speeches comes from Elizabeth when she defies Phillip within the court walls;'I TOO CAN COMMAND THE WIND SIR. I HAVE A HURRICANE IN ME THAT WILL STRIP STRING BARE IF YOU DARE TO TRY ME.' I understand that this is Hollywood and that Elizabeth and Blanchett are two very different people yet here they merge into one. I can imagine that Elizabeth was extremely passionate about her people, her country and her religion.Within this film Blanchett does her justice. It is such a moving scene, where she stands her ground, she is clearly no stranger to powerful men and although as Queen she should have respect for others, she responds to every proposition Phillip of Spain gives her with style and grace. What I found most intriguing was that Elizabeth went onto the battlefield with her men, this is a sign of a true leader, a true ruler, a true Queen. Her motivational speech 'Let them come with the armies of HELL as they will not pass.' To be able to stand in front of your army as a woman and to motivate them in the way she did is true honour, a Queen that did more for this country than any man who wore the crown jewels.

One of the most beautiful scenes in this film is when England defeat Spain in the Spanish Armada and Elizabeth rises from her bed to the mountain edge and gazes over the morning dusk. Where she looks out across the sea and from her slight smile and closed eyes she knows her country have won a battle that was not theirs to fight. The simplicity of this scene is touching, how she is standing, barefoot in her nightdress, no wig or make - up; just herself and the wind. An irony from the previous scene as she was able, to control the wind.

Elizabeth had many moral battles to face along with the Spanish Armada during her reign. The question whether she was the legitimate Queen was posed to her by the Catholics. Her cousin Mary Queen of Scots was believed by them to be the true Queen of England and an assignation attempt by the Catholics led Elizabeth to fear not only for her life but for her people. Elizabeth also had to deal with the fact that in many eyes she had '...murdered Gods anointed Queen.' Which then in turn led to the Spanish Armada and putting her country in grave danger.

Although a great ruler, Elizabeth never had what she wanted most. A husband. Although she did not show it, it is clear that she needed a male in her life who loved her for her and not for her status. Clive Owen plays the pirate Walter Raleigh who touches upon this subject, 'I think it must be hard for a Queen to know the simple pleasure of being liked for herself.' Her relationship with Raleigh was platonic, it would have caused many to lose their respect and love for her, if she had married a pirate. He was a comforting man and who I believe did love her as a woman rather than just his Queen; although I think it was more a brotherly love rather than a sexual love.

Elizabeth was so strong in public yet in private I think she struggled to let go and just be herself, although we do see glimmers of this when she whispers, 'what do you do when you are facing your death?' She gave England her life yet she wonders whether it deserved her soul. One of the most remarkable diplomats of our time is portrayed superbly by Blanchett; a film not only for historians but one we all need to watch to gain a real insight into how one woman fought against the odds to rule a land that did not want to be ruled. To crystallize a language that brought us some of the greatest writers we learn from today. And to stabilise a country ruined by religion.
I feel it only right to end this on her own words as she is too many still today, a model of strength and perseverance. An icon of stability and grace. A Queen. A Diplomat. A Woman.
'I am called the Virgin Queen. Un-married. I have no master. Chlidless, I am mother to my people. God give me strength to bear this mighty freedom. I am your Queen. I am. Myself.'

To Kill a Mockingbird

'To Kill a Mockingbird' is finally finished! I have to say it was one of those books which took a very serious topic (racial inequality) and mediated it through the eyes of a small and innocent young girl; Scout. As I said before in one of my posts; Scout is one of my favourite characters of all time and her narration was extraordinary. This book has many comedic aspects to it as well as tugging on the heart strings; especially when Jem feels Scout is becoming too much a of a 'girl' the relationship hits a rocky area; the growing up stage of childhood is quite emotional in this book. The plot; well it is based around the childhood of Scout (Jean Louise Finch) and her brother Jem. Their lawyer father, Atticus, is defending Tom Robinson on the account of rape of a white woman, much to the towns dislike.
 What I particularly liked about this book was the fact that Scout matures through the years, to begin with her naivety is evident however by the end of the book she comes to terms with the fact that people, like Boo Radley (a neighbour she wonders even exists at one point, as he is never seen) live their life the way they want to live it because they want to and it is their decision. One of the most heart-breaking aspects of this book was when Jem found the court case between Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson, unfair and unjust; Harper Lee really shows here a child's perspective of how unfair life can be. I really love the way this book is written; through the eyes of Scout as it creates an innocent perspective on such a controversial topic; such a coming of age novel and how tensions in society and cause a close knit family to struggle to stay together. It is a masterpiece, a once in a lifetime novel, a book about forgiveness, understanding and growing up. There is no simpler way to put it, this book is magnificent.

My next conquest is 'One Moment, One Morning' a book just recently released by Sarah Rayner. I thought I would try my hand at a bit of modern literature,a thriller about passengers on a train from Brighton to London and how one journey can change the lives of three people for ever. I look forward to getting my teeth into this one. And remember; people spend a lifetime searching for happiness and looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions and even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is, the only place they ever needed to search was within.

Slow Dance

Tonight I am posting a poem which was written by a terminally ill girl in New York; maybe we can all learn a little something from reading this...
SLOW DANCE


Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask how are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not seen his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say, 'Hi'
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music

Before the song is over.

This young girl has 6 months left to live, and as her dying wish, she wanted to send a letter telling everyone to live their life to the fullest, since she never will. She'll never make it to prom, graduate from high school, or get married and have a family of her own.


Life is a precious gift and when I have lived I want to know that everyday I lived, I lived to the full knowing I did not waste a second. I would rather die knowing I have lived rather than to die waiting for my life to begin...
If today was your last and tomorrow was too late, could you say goodbye to yesterday? Whats worth the price is always worth the fight; every second counts because there is no second try in the un-stoppable circle of life.

Swords and Sandals

10 years behind the times I have finally sat down and watched the epically long 'Gladiator.' 2 hours and 30 minutes later I am not in the least bit disappointed. This is the film praised for giving life to historical war dramas. It was directed by Ridley Scott in 2000 and stars Russell Crowe as Maximus. There are other strong actors in this film; Joaquain Phoneix and Richard Harris which sometimes I find that too many A-lists can spoil a film as there is not enough focus on the story. Scott managed this beautifully and what a classic the film ended up being.

A word of warning; this film is not for the faint hearted, the first battle scene is quite a gory mess as well as when Maximus fights the other gladiators (I was behind my pillow quite a few times!) Rather unusually there was a lot of focus on Commodus and the disturbing relationship he had with his sister, however historically this may have been very accurate, I find it very distressing to see it on screen. This film overall was nominated for an astonishing 119 awards and received 48 prizes; crazy to think that a historic war epic was nominated for so many. 'The New York Times' said that Scott created a 'gladiator effect' as many more sword and sandal films were made after this one was released; '300,' 'Kingdom of Heaven' and 'Troy' (one of my favourite films) to name a few. This was such a powerful film not only in the cinematography aspect but also emotionally, the heart-breaking death of two characters really puts in prospective how emotional even a war film can be. If you haven't already seen then do watch it, although long it is extremely worth your time.

Next on the list is 'Kingdom of Heaven' and 'King Arthur' as well as the latest Ridley Scott; 'Robin Hood.' Stay tuned...

A Sweet Rebellion

For actors, the bridge from sweet to serious, is a difficult one to cross. When is the right time to say 'goodbye' to Teenage Nickelodeon awards and 'hello' to the Oscars? If you are a child star, for example, Natalie Portman.; at the age of 12 she played a brainy student in 'Leon' and who could forget her sweet portrayal of Queen Amidala in 'Star Wars.' However in 2004 she played a stripper, which she went nearly naked for, in 'Closer' and is currently going to be coming onto screens as a self harming, distressed ballet dancer in 'Black Swan.'
I personally do not have a problem with this, if an artist wants to express themselves in a different way then they should, surely that is what art is therefore, a representation, an expression, a meaning. Motion picture is a form of art so why do we as an audience, feel we have the right to restrict or comment on an artists different direction? Surely for an actor by having a vast variety of different texts is far better than being typecast as a ditsy blonde (Cameran Diaz.) Don't get me wrong, where would we be without these stereotyped actors, Hugh Grant for example or Tom Cruise. We know where we are with these people, we have chosen Tom Cruise's action film because we are expecting action not a musical. As an actor you have to decide quite early whether you want to rock the boat or keep it steady, whether to diversify and go for the gold man or keep it PG. Meryl Streep is a classic example of an actor who has got it right from 'Out of Africa' to 'It's Complicated.' Anne Hathaway is another, 'Princess Diaries' to 'Rachel Getting Married.' I love to see an actor in new and compromising positions and I mean they do not always work out (Kate Hudson in 'The Killer Inside of Me') but surely its the thought, the effort that they have put into finding a new role to break the mould. To be successful as an actor, I think this has to be done early on, rom-coms to horror, musicals to thrillers every genre covered, leave no stone unturned.
We shouldn't criticise those who decide that their big break through one type of genre is suddenly a rebellion when they chose another. After all we are all black swans in one way or another are we not? We like to rebel in our daily routines, although some of us do not like to admit it, it is true. There is no perfect angel in this life, no white rose, instead, a combination of the good and the bad. If we look at our reflection, what is on the outside can be quite different to what is on the inside just like a black swan or a bouquet of barbed wire.

Now time for some cheesy plugging:
Are you interested in politics? An intellectual take on the way the most powerful men and women in this world run their countries is found at http://www.iblog-independent.blogspot.com/
This is a fellow friendly blogger who has set up a political blog so take a look, take my word for it, you won't be disappointed. But be nice; he's a newbie!

Boyle-ing Over!

Lets face it, we all enjoy a gory movie. Whether we are 'lads' or 'princesses' everybody likes to squirm at something once in a while. But when does the gore, the blood, the guts, become too ugly? Danny Boyle is one of those directors who likes to aim far beyond the line of acceptance. 'Slumdog Millionaire' began with a torture scene and 'Trainspotting' well lets face it, what is not messed about that movie. His latest, award scooper epic, '127 Hours' is based on a true story of rock climber Aron Ralston. Simple enough right, a heroic tale of a life changing journey around the Canyon's of Utah. Well this certainly isn't for the faint hearted! If Internet rumours are to be believed this is one film to be extremely wary of. However I do trust the news! Yahoo! have headlined today 'Cinemagoers faint during Boyle's new film.'

Are you as shocked as I was? Three people have passed out during a rather distressing scene in '127 hours.' The film is not just any mountain climbers journey, it is around his five days trapped in the Canyons of Utah. As unbelievable as this may sound but the real Ralston had to cut off his own arm when it had become trapped from a gigantic fallen boulder. No your eyes have not deceived you, Ralston actually chopped off one of his limbs. So the question I pose to you today is; would you have the 'balls' to do such a thing? We all might say, 'oh yeah I could.' But when it comes down to it, would you actually be able to save yourself by ironically, sacrificing yourself? Its a tough one isn't it. If you think just reading about it is bad, imagine watching it on the big screen. No wonder three people passed out whilst watching it. A movie critic from The Wrap has said  when watching 'Ralston taking off his own arm to free himself after a fall are among the most realistic of graphic gore ever put on film, and not for the faint of heart.' Would you dare see such a film now? People claim SAW is one of the worst graphically gruesome films of all time. But I disagree there is nothing more raw and distressing then to watch something so true it blinds you.
So is there no such thing as 'bad' publicity? Would you dare to watch knowing what you know now? Has Boyle gone overboard this time? Or is this an epic which will go down in history? I'll let you decide...

Stepping Stones

This woman above, featured in a film I had the pleasure of watchig last night; Tamsin Greig who plays Beth in 'Tamara Drewe' gives an outstandingly heart felt performace, I loved her in every minute she was on screen and honestly not yet have I seen an actress play a character so real and life like than I did last night. 'Tamara Drew' directed by Stephen Frears (who also did 'The Queen') and starring Gemma Arterton and Luke Evans (yummy!)

Tamara, a girl lost finds happiness (or so she thinks!) in the most unexpected places, for example in the arms of narcissistic rocker Ben and by also having an affair with an acclaimed crime novelist Nicholas, who she previously had a crush on as a teenager. This film has a few too many story lines and considering the character 'Tamara Drewe' is the title of this feature, she barely even features in it, it's more about the trouble she causes. I felt the main protagonist throughout this film was Beth, the devoted farm wife or Nicholas; she continually allows him to be unfaithful to her and she always welcomes him back. This act of almost desperation, has led me to wonder... Is that all women would do after twenty five years of marriage? Take back a cheating, lying husband who explains that he and Beth are like '...compass needles, always meeting at North but the South is allowed to roam free.' What a repulsive, manipulative lie! Beth was portrayed as a frumpy grey haired wife who had more humour, wit and intelligence than any of the bimbos Nicholas had affairs with. What I felt most destroying about the marriage between this couple is when questioned by Beth 'Why do you always cheat?' Nicholas replies; 'Because you let me.' This tears me apart; a woman's devotion to her 'pig' of a husband is being punished for always taking him back. Perhaps she should be; when you take a man back once, you will always take him back. Adultery is one man's way of getting from place to place from woman to woman. If you are a mistress then you are a man's stepping stone, you do not want to be that you want to be his milestone. Although it is her own doing, Beth is an absolutely beautiful character and I would have appreciated the whole film to be about her rather than Tamara.

Getting back to the film; Nicholas feels Tamara is the woman for him and is ready to leave Beth for her, this devotion is a little too much for Tamara and although previously being engaged to Ben realises that her heart really lies with Andy Cobb; a hard working, kind hearted farmer who decorates her house and who always has had a soft spot for her.
If this isn't enough characters for one film you also have the vile two teenagers who have major crushes on Ben the rocker, and Jody who is fifteen causes havoc by breaking into Tamara's house and basically absolutely ruining her relationships and her life; she also uses the crudest language which, to be honest, dampens the film for me. There is no need for such revolting language to be used, I am not pompous but towards the end both of them were getting on my wits end and I had literally had enough.
If you think this post is nearly finished then you are in for the long haul yet; Beth hosts a writers retreat throughout her film on her farm, where once particular writer has an intense crush on her. However although this may come across inititally sweet and exactly what she needs, again his abusive language and disgusting ways make me want to close my eyes whenever he comes on screen. It is un-necessary to describe in-detail, the course of a turd, or have a good 4 minutes of the same camera shot of him on the toilet.

My friend rightfully said 'every scene was action packed, there wasn't one where they just chilled.' Why was this? Because there were too many characters with too many stories. This film could had so much potential to be a stunner, perhaps even the next 'Calendar Girls.' Set in a small town where havoc rarely occurs, Tamara Drew turns up and suddenly the neighbours lives are turned upside down. Instead what we ended up with was a mish mash of all sorts of peoples storied where Tamara barely featured at all. Also her weird obsession with her nose was another un-necessary matter. Although I have ripped into this film, I did enjoy mainly because there was so much material to get my teeth into. If you have read to the end I applaud you and thank you dearly. If you are looking for a chick flick it wouldn't be my first choice. Although Tamara ends up with the desirable Andy Cobb, there is absolutely no romance blossoming between the two during the film only mild flirtation. I would definitely recommend for the storyline of Beth and Nicholas what a stellar performance from her; however be warned Nicholas does reach a rather grimy end. Something I definitely was not expecting...

A Bird's Sweet Song

'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'

I am quickly making my way through 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee and I have to say it such an intriguing tale. Set in the deep south of America in the 1930's, this novel dives deep into the conscience of a town so high up on prejudice and pride that the weight of history, as I see it, will only be able to tolerate so much.

I have fallen in love with the narrator, Scout (Jean Louise Finch) a tomboy whose innocent view on things is sharpened by her retrospective narrative. I have almost finished part one and am throughly enjoying it. I can tell that there is more to this book than meets the eye and could possibly predict that Atticus' law suit has something to do with his daughter? Maybe a pie in the sky....?

Would You Want To Know 'The Ugly Truth?'

Say you really fancy your next door neighbour right, and this guy at work (who happens to be a sex crazed 'looks are everything' guy) promises you that you can win this guy over by following the 'male rules?' Would you trust him? And if so, how far would you go?

'The Ugly Truth' stars Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler... an odd rom-com couple? I completely agree. 'P.S. I Love You' was a shambles and a breakthrough actress from Greys Anatomy, put it together and what do you get? An extremely well written, genuinely cringing comedy. Butler's character Mike believes that all men are the same, that they only want one thing. And we all know what that is, *wink wink! On the other hand, Heigl's character Abby believes or maybe has convinced herself that some men can be romantic because they want to be rather than to get you into bed. Abby an uptight television producer eventually wins her next door neighbour over but is it too late for her to realise her true feelings towards Mike? Definitely a film for a girls night in and Gerard Butler has a cheeky smile no woman can resist.

I have begun 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee and I am reading it at the speed of light at the moment, such a great novel written through the perspective of Scout and Jem Finch, who are young children living in America in the 1930s, with their father being a lawyer we also see the more political adult side of America. The blurb informs me that a law suit between a black man and a white woman is the crux of the story so I have that to look forward to. Enjoy the sun this evening folks, and ask yourself this;

'Can dreams be captured and re-dreamed?'