THE MOVIE POST | THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

A tearjerker of a book makes for a tearjerker of a movie. 

I first became aware of the book through the author John Green's Youtube channel with his brother Hank; VlogBrothers. As someone who is slightly older than the target demographic I wasn't really aware of the hype and excitement surrounding it. Now I've seen the film have to say it's one of my favourite book to screen adaptations and I've seen a lot, Divergent being higher on the list of favourites which Shailene also starred in. :)

I've watched films that are similar to this in terms of story but not necessarily focussed on teens with terminal illness. But anyway let's get down to talking about the film. (I'm going to try and keep this mildly spoiler free)

Shailene & Ansel really embody the characters of Hazel & Augustus and I think really made the film even better. Nat Wolff also provided some comedic elements to his character and I laughed at many a scene of his especially the egging of his ex girlfriends moms' car. But what really struck me was the poignancy of several of the scenes including when Hazel & Augustus visited Anne Frank's House in Amsterdam. The film captured elements like feeling like everything is against you or that bad things are simply inevitable but there are positives too like love can happen between two people regardless of circumstances and you can fall in love when you least expect it. I'm rambling terribly in this review but the film got me thinking about a lot of things. Anyway to end yes I cried, definitely bring tissues if you go to see the film, I thoroughly enjoyed it so highly recommend it you guys.

If you've seen it what did you think?

LOVE VANESSA xx

TRACK | GHOST | ELLA HENDERSON

Oh what's that another music related post? Music is one of my biggest passions alongside books and films so I shall be talking about it often on the blog. I also like a range of genres so you can get an insight into my music taste. :)

Anyway I've been really loving Ella Henderson's newest song Ghost which actually hit #1 on the UK charts last Sunday.

It's quite a soulful love song and I love the breakdowns between the verses and the choruses. For someone who appeared on the X Factor it's refreshing to see such a credible artist in Ella and I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of the album.

You can see the video for the song in the link below.

What do you think of the song?

LOVE VANESSA xx

TRACK | WESTCOAST | LANA DEL REY

I've been a fan of LDR's since Born To Die and even have listened to her old music before that era. It feels like forever since she released any new material. 

Today WESTCOAST off her second album ULTRAVIOLENCE got it's first airplay on Radio 1. 

First thoughts were it was quite Black Keys-esque which makes sense as it was produced by Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys. I really love the simplicity in the heavy guitar driven ballad and Lana's usual breathy emotionally tinged vocals. Her lyrics are still amazing and despite the retro feel it still sounds fresh and she literally never disappoints me.

If this song is anything to go by I'm really looking forward to the new album dropping.

What do you think of her new song?

LOVE VANESSA xx

THE GIG POST | BANKS

So last friday I went to see BANKS in concert at O2 Academy Oxford. If you don't know who BANKS is she's a singer from LA and her music is what I'd call electronic RnB with some Lana Del Rey/Lorde/Grimes vibes thrown in too. She's also the queen of wearing all black, a girl after my own heart.

I've been listening to her music since late 2013 and have loved everything so far, my favourite songs are Change & Brain.

The gig itself was sold out but was really short and went by too quickly. Time definitely flies when you're having fun. She was supported by Eclair Fifi on the entirety of this tour. I managed to get to the barrier so I had an unobstructed view of the stage which was brilliant as I'm only 5ft tall although I was wearing heels that night.

She performed songs from her EPs alongside two covers one of Aaliyah's Are You That Somebody and The Weeknd's What You Need. She also performed 2 songs Stick & Goddess from her album coming out in the summer. Her voice is amazing on record but live is truly phenomenal you really feel the vulnerability and the honesty of her lyrics.

Anyway I didn't take too many pictures as I was enjoying myself way too much to get my phone out but here are 2 of them. I did film the songs Stick and Waiting Game but I'm not going to be posting them online.

BANKS

LOVE VANESSA xx

THE FOOD POST | CÔTE

So as I stated in my last update post I would be looking at developing and changing what type of things I would be posting on here. One of those is going to be having a different type of post entitled with what I'm discussing. This post and all the future ones that will cover similar content are going to be called "The Food Post."

I recently visited Côte Brasserie in Oxford for one of my flatmates' 22nd birthday. It's a little restaurant that serves French food. It's a quaint and intimate place but I was slightly disappointed as it didn't have a very French vibe but that was not something to worry about at all.

I ordered Half Chargrilled ‘Breton’ Chicken with Frites which was effectively just glorified chicken and chips but it was lovely and tasted delicious.

And while my friends had some wine I was the responsible one with my Coca Cola ha ha. :)

All in all it was a nice meal but the restaurant was just a tad pricey for some of the food but I was paying for the atmosphere and would still recommend it if you happen to find yourself in Oxford anytime soon.

LOVE VANESSA xx

THE MOVIE POST | THOR THE DARK WORLD

So I waited till Thor The Dark World was released in the US to write my review. I live in the UK so luckily the film came out on the 30th October.

Have to say there was a lot to live up to after the massive success of The Avengers & Iron Man 3 didn't really truly accomplish that task.

This is where Thor The Dark World is a success. It is a refreshing take on the Norse God of Thunder's adventures in Asgard & beyond. A far funnier and more realist approach to his trajectory and no less Shakespearean than the first Thor.

Thor The Dark World is basically about Thor trying to save the universe from the darkness the elves of Svartalfheim headed by Malekith intend to plunge it into. In order to do this he must enlist Loki's help and thus brotherly bonding and a road-trip ensue.

Thor is brilliant. Chris Hemsworth portraying him as a young man coming to terms with the fact he's becoming King and trying to protect the nine realms and those that he loves; Jane.

Sif & the Warriors Three have more of a role as does Heimdall & Darcy. Selvig is hilarious running naked around Stone Henge talking about the Convergence.

But the one character who steals every scene he is in is Loki. Tom Hiddleston is Hamlet like. He gives the character depth and complexity mixing vulnerability with indifference, anger and biting sarcasm. I've been a long term fan of Hiddleston's for about 5 years now and it's great that he's been given such an amazing and intelligent role as Loki.

The movie overall is funny, sad and there are so many twists and turns that you find yourself asking what is going on. If you like Game of Thrones you may like the tone of this film. The ending is particularly interesting and I wonder how Thor 3 will play out if that movie does indeed happen (nothing has been confirmed). The two after-credits scenes are intriguing and set up Thor's placement in the next Avengers film The Avengers Age Of Ultron and Thanos' role in terms of the Infinity Gems.

I really enjoyed this movie and can not recommend it enough, so if you haven't gone to the cinema to see it yet, go watch it!

LOVE VANESSA xx

THE BOOK POST | IT BY ALEXA CHUNG

Hello, 

I recently bought Alexa Chung's book "It" and I thought I would do a little review so here goes...

Now I'm not one to usually read something just because there is a lot of hype around the book it happens fairly rarely. Which is why it took me a while to decide whether I wanted to purchase Alexa Chung's book "It." 

I love Alexa Chung don't get me wrong, I think her style is the perfect mix of feminine and masculine but I wasn't sure about her writing a book. I love books but I don't tend to read biographies or anything close to that type of book. On this occasion I threw down the gauntlet and I decided to buy Alexa's book. I don't regret it one bit. It's not your typical biography it has a lot of photos and illustrations and very minimal writing. It doesn't tell you about her whole life but she has written little anecdotes about her style icons, her friends and a few tidbits about when she was younger. If you're looking for tips and tricks from her you probably wouldn't find many in the book but that's not too much of a detriment to the idea of the book at all. 

For me in a literary sense it's good but it fairs better in terms of the visual elements, it would definitely make a great coffee-table read. Overall I'm pretty happy that I bought the book it's nice that she has given us an opportunity to get to know the girl underneath the public persona. 

Have any of you read Alexa's book? What did you think of it?

LOVE VANESSA xx

THE GIG POST | 30 SECONDS TO MARS AT THE iTUNES FESTIVAL

I was going to post this the day after the show but was so tired and had to be at uni for the morning that I forgot to finish writing it. But anyway hope you like. :)

I was lucky enough to win tickets to see 30 SECONDS TO MARS at the iTunes Festival on the 18th September. It was my first time at a MARS show and have to say it was an interesting experience. I've been a fan of the band for almost 10 years now and it was long overdue that I saw them live. I traveled to London from Oxford and met another fan who used my guest ticket. I saw and spoke to several other ECHELON and it was great to see so many won tickets too. I remember watching Lana Del Rey's show last year at the festival and really wanting to go to the festival this year. I honestly did not think I would win tickets at all so was astonished when iTunes emailed me to say I'd won.

Amazingly enough I was right at the front with maybe 2 people stood in front of me. I had never been to The Roundhouse before so it was great to finally see it in person.

There was a warm-up act called The Family Rain that played before MARS. I really enjoyed their set even though I did not know them. Their music was a lot more indie than is my usual taste but I loved the guitar melodies and the beats of their songs.

After their set the tension in the room was tangible and everyone was ready and waiting to see MARS. They came on stage at 9pm and played a 90 minute set. They played a mix of songs from the albums THIS IS WAR, LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS and an acoustic version of THE KILL from the album A BEAUTIFUL LIE. 

Their set-list was :

1. Birth

2. Night of the Hunter

3. Search & Destroy

4. This Is War

5. Conquistador

6. Do Or Die

7. Depuis Le Début

8. End Of All Days

9. City Of Angels

10. Pyres of Varanasi

11. Hurricane (acoustic)

12. The Kill (acoustic)

13. Closer To The Edge

14. Up In The Air

Here are some pictures from their show I apologise for the blurriness as I was too excited to concentrate on getting really good quality photos but look how close I was to the stage.

I was exhausted by the end of the show, I had practically lost most of my voice from singing all the songs (word for word I'll have you know ha ha). I got back to Oxford very early in the morning at probably about 2am and as soon as my head hit the pillow I fell asleep.

Note: Please do not take & distribute the photos online they are mine and are personal.

LOVE VANESSA xx

TRACK BY TRACK | LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS BY THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS

Here's my track by track review of Thirty Seconds To Mars' 4th album Love Lust Faith + Dreams.

*disclaimer this is my own personal opinion, you may agree or disagree or you may be thinking what is she going on about but it is my opinion and mine alone*

1. Birth - Sets the tone for the rest of the album. Really bridges the gap between This Is War & Love Lust Faith + Dreams making a smooth transition to something new and different.

2. Conquistador - stadium rock at it's best, I love the melody and the prominence of the guitar, the lyrics are reminiscent of This Is War.

3. Up In The Air - a little dance number and raving beats from their first single off the album

4. City of Angels - lyrically this tells a clearly very personal perspective of Los Angeles, probably my favorite song from this album

5. The Race - Unfortunately my least favourite song from LLFD. It has all the elements of a great song and it may grow on me.

6. End of All Days - Dramatic, anthemic, shows Jared's vocal range, heavy focus on piano, strings synthesisers and drums. "All We Need is Faith" is repeated to an almost obscene level but is not to a detriment. A song to make you think of things beyond simply living perhaps.

7. Pyres of Varanasi - exotic vocals that sound like they're from the middle east

8. Bright Lights - Such an upbeat song. Strange it may seem but I feel like running through a meadow in the rain or something to this song.

9. Do Or Die - Another of my favourites from this album, I love the inclusion of the strings and choir it makes it sound more epic, this song definitely showcases Jared's vocal range. It's a very atmospheric song. There is such  positivity in this one.

10. Convergence - this song has no lyrics/vocals but is a rather peaceful interlude to the epicness (is that a word? haha) that surrounds it

11. Northern Lights - I had already heard an acoustic version of this via a VyRT live stream and I'm glad that they chose to put this on the album. A little bit of screaming in this for the fans of the old school MARS but this is definitely a break from previous albums. One of the best songs off this album.

12. Depuis Le Début - Starts off with acoustic guitar and the repetitive singing of the line "There will be blood" and then ends with strings, synthesisers and builds up into a orchestral crescendo, an epic way to end an amazing album.

Atmospheric, epic, stadium rock, a brighter incredibly personal outlook, an evolution. 

You can buy LLFD from amazon or the itunes store.

LOVE VANESSA x

THE MOVIE POST | IRON MAN 3

So I just came back from seeing Iron Man 3 and first of all: WOW. 

This is a great start to Marvel's Phase 2 and really sets the mark for the rest of the Marvel movies in this phase (Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier & Avengers 2).

Robert Downey Junior and Gwyneth Paltrow are on fine form and I enjoyed the relationship between Pepper and Tony much more than the previous films. The dynamic between them is much more realistic.

I found it rather interesting in reference to "Nothings been the same since New York" that the event in the Avengers are what are causing him to have nightmares and panic attacks. It shows that even though they defeated Loki and the Chitauri that it left a mark on Tony and not in a great way.

I like the realism in that there is more fighting with Tony outside the suit and we get to see more of Tony's back story prior to the events in the first Iron Man film.

The huge plot twist in regards to the true identity of The Mandarin may annoy avid comic book fans but it was an interesting way to entice new fans to watch the movie and then discover all is not what it seems. It also allowed enjoy the extraordinary acting talents of Sir Ben Kingsley.

The focus on the idea of desperation and a need to show the world what you are capable of is interesting and I appreciate the notion that people can change. Ultimately Tony has become a hero and a changed man but in order for that to have occurred he needed to loosen his bonds to Iron Man.

At the end of the film there's a reference to a 'clean slate' and I really hope that does not mean RDJ will not return as Stark which has been rumoured for a while. To me he is Tony Stark and there can be no other.

There's always an after-credit scene with any Marvel movie and it was nice to see the SCIENCE BROS back together.

Overall it was a great movie and I am so excited to see Thor: The Dark World.

And if my review doesn't make you go see Iron Man 3 listen to the God of Mischief himself.

After all that rambling if you haven't seen Iron Man 3, go watch it!


LOVE VANESSA x