While in life I generally enjoy things that have a natural, more organic feel to them, on the big screen I have something of a fondness for the highly stylised movie. It’s theatre meets film in all of its over the top grandeur and opulence. I recently watched the 2012 version of Anna Karenina with Kiera Knightly, more because I was in the mood for extravagant costumes than anything else. I had a vague recollection of the movie not garnering the best of reviews and, let’s face it, Anna Karenina isn’t the lightest, most uplifting of tales, so imagine my…
Author: <span>Amanda Clayton</span>
~Food for thought this Earth Day. ~The awkwardness of families and politics. ~I’ll be making this again this week, just in time for summer. ~I’m a complete sucker for good branding so when I saw this cat food at the supermarket and it made me laugh, I knew it was coming home with me. It’s not cheap but it is real. My cat seemed to love it and she’s finicky. Then again, she’s a cat. ~What 39 celebrities wore to meet the Queen. ~Black Earth Rising on Netflix. Kate Ashby is a thirty something Rwandan Tutsi rescued as a little…
In a sea of great British programming these three shows stand out for their fabulous storylines, exquisite acting and sheer entertainment value. ~Broadchurch Ellie (Olivia Colman) is a detective who returns from maternity leave to find that her promised promotion has been handed to outsider, Alec Hardy (David Tennant). Within the hour she also learns that the body of an eleven year old boy found dead on the beach is that of Danny Latimer, best friend to her son and youngest child of her neighbours Beth (Jodie Whitaker) and Mark (Andrew Buchan). The opening scenes play out with quiet and…
Today is the first full day of spring. The days are getting longer, the birds are getting chirpier and the everyday is getting a little more colourful thanks to the daffs, the tulips and the crocuses. And something else that always feels very springy to me are lemons, especially when they are made into lemon curd, which is quite the charming little kitchen basic to have in your back pocket. Maybe not quite as useful as onions or stock but what it lacks in practicality it more than makes up for in cheer and sass. It’s simple to make and…
~Southernmost Silas House In Tennessee a flood wipes out a small town and its Pastor, Asher Sharp, extends an invitation to two men, a gay couple, to spend the night at his own house. But his wife refuses to allow it. It is a seemingly simple gesture which sparks a radical change within Asher who goes on to deliver an emotional and fervent sermon in front of his congregation which (because, of course) is filmed by a young parishioner and subsequently goes viral. The outcome is a bitter custody battle over Asher’s young son, Justin, which leads him to run away…
~The 91st Academy Awards are this weekend. Nominations here, if you’re in need of a reminder. ~I have yet to watch Roma which seems to be a strong contender for best picture. It’s on Netflix, so I’ll definitely be watching it before Sunday, but also hoping to squeeze in Green Book as well. ~Personally I’m a big fan of The Favourite and Olivia Colman, but I just read that Glenn Close has been nominated for an Oscar several times and has never won, so I wouldn’t be at all disappointed if she nabbed the statue this time around: she was…
By Its Cover is a series of posts wherein I read a book based solely on my love of the cover. No reading the jacket, no checking reviews! After being consistently drawn to colourful covers I did a 180 and picked a book that has a haunting quality due to its washed out colour (or lack thereof) and twisted tree branches. Which is entirely appropriate given that the book is about magic. Love the title too, especially after a surfeit of novels entitled I Let You Go, I Found You, I See You etc, etc, etc. I wasn’t wild about Kat…
Britain’s Industrial Revolution took place between 1760 and 1840. Roughly. There’s no hard start or end date, just a slow build up in the years prior to 1760 before things exploded. It is considered to be one of the most important periods in history because of the changes that occurred in a relatively short time frame and the huge impact it had on the fabric of society. In the early 1700’s, Britain experienced several things that made the Industrial Revolution possible. Advances in farming led to an increase in food supply and between 1760 and 1820 the population doubled from…
A big old goofy grin for the weekend, because: only 49 more to go before Christmas. ~The immigrant who mows the lawn of the nuclear physicist indirectly helps to unlock the secrets of the universe. With all the talk of The Wall, an eye-opening look at the opposite approach. ~Be still my beating heart. I now have plans to chop down the tree at the bottom of my garden so I can have one of these for myself. ~Go and see this movie this weekend. Wonderfully written, brilliantly acted and marvelously off-kilter the whole way through. ~Just finished watching season…
~Mr Dickens and His Carol Samantha Silva A truly joyous Christmas novel which perfectly encapsulates Dickens and his Victorian England. This is a fictional account of how Dickens came to write one of his most famous and beloved stories. When Martin Chuzzlewit is a supreme flop, Dickens must face the fact that his financial status is looking bleak. He is told by his publisher that he must write a Christmas story within the next few weeks to save himself from ruin. Meanwhile his wife is planning their annual lavish Christmas party and his kids are tugging on his coat sleeves…