Well, it's certainly been a long time since my last blog!
I've been rather busy this summer, I graduated from uni, volunteered at Soul Survivor/Momentum festivals, volunteered doing editing for an exhibition at a fab gallery, went to the awesome Alice in Wonderland themed wedding of two lovely friends of mine and started working at my two new jobs.
Anyway, just thought I'd share some of the music I've been listening to recently.
Here is a rather mellow cover of 'Somebody That I Used To Know'. I'll admit that I've got a bit sick of this song from listening to the original and various covers (particularly the 'Walk Off The Earth' cover) but this is a different take on it, and I really like it.
Also, I've come across some clips from the film 'Perfect Pitch' which isn't out in the UK til December I think, but I really want to see it! This clip has a great acapella remix of 'Just The Way You Are' by Bruno Mars.
The way I found out about 'Pitch Perfect' was actually by coming across this video on YouTube, which is rather good I must say. Fantastic editing, must have taken rather a long time to do!
I've been going through a mild Regina Spektor phase recently. The only song I've really heard of hers previously was 'The Call' as I had searched it after hearing it at the cinema at the end of 'Prince Caspian'. I have vague memories of looking up some of her other music at the time but didn't become particularly enamoured with it. However, recently I have re-listened to some of her songs and come to love them.
I have become especially partial to a bit of 'On the Radio' (embedded below). I actually performed a cover of it (piano and voice) a couple of weeks ago at an open mic night (the first and only one I've ever played at! Was very nervous). I did the clapping bit in the intro and everyone started clapping along with me which I hadn't really expected, but it was rather cool :). I think it's a really beautiful song.
Well, it's been a while since I posted anything, so I thought I would post this lovely song by Kimbra. I do rather like her official music video, but when a friend of mine posted this Spotify Sessions version on Facebook, I very much enjoyed it and thought I should pass it on :).
I've recently begun to listen to some classical music while at uni, and am rather enjoying it. I've found that I do tend to prefer to listen to solely piano music rather than another instrument or something more orchestral. The downside to listening to this is that I often get distracted and just want to go play the piano. Luckily since I listen to it whilst at uni, I cannot do so and therefore I waste less time than I might! (Though I suppose I'm wasting a little time by blogging about it...).
I'm currently listening to music that I found just by searching 'relaxing piano' in Spotify, though I did search some other composers to find other music. I rather like Tchaikovsky, though recently I've been favouring a bit of Debussy instead. That's for a little more calming music. Chopin is also rather nice, and I've recently discovered that I rather like a little Prokofiev. I was aware of the style of Prokofiev's music, but had not listened to much of it until yesterday, it's rather feisty :), not the best to keep me calm and focused on uni work, lol, so I've had to abandon that while in uni!
A couple of pieces I particularly like (and could find on YouTube) from the ones I've been listening to the last couple of days are:
I really like this. It's rather useful, bit of a reminder. I do or have done most of these, except drink coffee. I like the animation/design of the video too, very nice.
Ok, it's a bit ridiculous that I'm doing this now, as it's the first time I've managed to get into uni this week (we don't start back til next week but I need to get some editing in). And I've got to leave for work in an hour. So this is a short post. Just thought I'd show this video as a friend of mine put it on Facebook and I was completely mesmerised by it. Beautiful :).
I've just watched this film - 'Last Night' starring Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes and Guillaume Canet.
If you have a chance, watch it, it's so good.
I'd seen the trailer a while back and it had intrigued me, but I hadn't been able to get hold of it on DVD to watch, so had pretty much forgotten it until I spotted it at the library earlier today.
---WARNING! THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW!---
Storyline
Note - this is a pretty bad summary, ignore it and just go watch the film
The film is basically about temptation. It's focuses on a married couple, Michael and Joanna Reed (Worthington and Knightley). There's a section at the beginning in which there is not a whole lot said, but you get to know the two main characters a little. They go to a work party, where Jo spots Michael with an attractive new colleague, Laura (Mendes), who he's been working with for a while, has gone on a business trip with, and is going on another business trip with the next day. She sees them and believes them to be attracted to each other - when they go home later in the evening, she confronts him about it and he tries to tell her nothing has happened and smooth over this argument. There is a lovely scene where he wakes her up (she was sleeping on the couch as she still wasn't happy with him) and makes her some breakfast, and they talk a little. They later both go to sleep in their bed and seem on good terms when he leaves in the morning. Generally they seem to have a very good committed, married relationship.
Michael goes on his business trip and as the film progresses it cuts back and forth between him and Jo during this day/night that they are apart. Jo goes out for coffee and bumps into Alex (Canet), who she hasn't seen in 2 years, he's on his way to a meeting but they decide to meet later in the evening. It's clear that they both feel strongly about each other just from the expressions and short conversation. The film follows through the day as Michael's meetings wrap up and Jo gets ready to go out. Michael stays around to go for drinks with Laura and they chat about relationships and other things. Jo meets Alex, you can feel how comfortable they are together, how they really enjoy being with each other. Jo ends up going with Alex to a sort of work dinner/dinner with friend and his wife. There is some very interesting conversation between Jo and Patrick (Alex's friend) who is older, and is curious about Jo and the relationship with Alex, and they have a short but honest conversation about Jo, Alex and Michael. Michael spends his evening alone with Laura, first at a bar, then moving on to another place, and they end up going back to her room to grab some drinks from the minibar and head down to the pool where they start swimming in their underwear. They talk about cheating, and how Laura was cheated on and how she felt about it. Meanwhile Jo has gone off with Alex to feed/walk their friend Andy's dog (Andy is on the trip with Laura and Michael). They end up locked out of the apartment and take the dog with them to Patrick's party. After spending some time together they end up snogging in a lift and then heading back to his place. They sit and talk, seeming very much like a normal couple, then start getting close again but Jo says 'I can't ... I can't do any more and look him in the eye'. Alex comments that her husband is away with a woman that she got upset about, but she replies 'Michael isn't doing anything'. Instead, they lie down on the bed and just stay there through the night. Michael ends up sleeping with Laura and after getting up says 'I didn't think that would happen', she glibly replies 'not even the second time?'.
Michael finds the note Jo hid in his shirt for the next day, that says 'It's possible I overreacted. I know that. I know you. And I love you. xxx Jo'. Michael decides to go home to his wife rather than finish the business trip. Arriving back early he sees Jo's been crying. He lies to Jo and says 'we finished up early' when she enquires about the business trip. He apologises for the fight they had (at the beginning of the film), suggest they go out for lunch and a walk. They embrace when she gets up to go get ready and he tells her he loves her. Over her shoulder he spots her discarded high heels from the night before. They move apart and look at each other's faces, she takes a breath as if to say something and-
the film ends.
The effect on the viewer
Obviously by 'the viewer' I mean me, so it won't necessarily be the same for everyone. However, I found this a very captivating film. I felt like I really needed to know more, I needed to understand. There was a certain intriguing quality throughout the film because it wasn't all laid out for you at the beginning - you had to understand it as you went through.
I love the uncertainty of some things in the film. They are frustrating, but that's what makes them work so well!
The lack of closure leaves you feeling sort of unsatisfied but in a good way. I think it definitely had a 'real' sort of feel to it - there is no certain happy ending, life just goes on. I like that you don't get all this backstory in a block, you get to know the characters and understand their relationships with each other through their conversations or reminiscence in some cases; but I never felt like the story behind the relationships was forced in or made to fit because it was necessary for the audience to know it.
I love the fact that it is very much up to the viewer to decide what they're rooting for. I think different people would maybe want the characters to do different things. I found that I was rooting for them to stay faithful to each other, and not get involved with extra-marital relationships/affairs, but I also found myself torn with Knightley's character. She really shone in this role and you really feel the emotion and the connection between her and Canet's character. You find yourself wanting them to be together, but also feeling like it's wrong.
I thought that one of the most amazing things, which I suppose I find unusual in today's sort of culture, is that that the idea of the relationship/temptation was a lot more than just a physical thing. This was especially clear in the case of Jo and Alex. They clearly had this relationship that they just fell back into despite not seeing each other for 2 years. For them it was so much more than something physical, and when they parted, him going back to Paris, you really felt the emotion in their separation. It was so abundantly clear than their feelings for each other were deeply rooted, not something that would go away easily but instead something likely to hang around for the rest of their lives in one way or another.
In Michael's case it was more of a physical thing. I thought that the relationship between him and Laura was such a contrast to Jo and Alexs'. They confronted it clearly, aware that he was married, that he didn't want to have an affair but admitted feelings for Laura. He said clearly to her that he thought that he'd regret having an affair more than he would regret not having one. He clearly didn't make boundaries for himself in a way that would have helped him to stay faithful. Instead he mentally tried not to have an affair, while allowing himself to get closer and closer to it until it happened. I thought that some of the conversation between the two of them was very interesting - Laura's confession of being cheated on, and her feeling about it all etc. I liked that there was minimal screen time of them actually sleeping together - this film was a great contrast to the many others where it seems to be a bit of plot chucked in for the sake of a bunch of 'getting physical' or sex scenes.
I thought that how the 'morning after' sort of situation was shown was so brilliant. It felt very real and there was no closure. You could sort of see how Michael was feeling, but you could also see that he was a bit mixed up, but knew he had to leave it behind and go back to his wife. I think one of the best things was when Andy (the other guy on the business trip with them) told Laura that Michael had gone back to New York and she tried to sound normal about it but you could see the expression on her face. I described Michael as 'mixed up' but I think perhaps a better way of describing their expressions is 'empty'. I've never been in a situation like that so I can't imagine exactly what it would feel like, but I think that them feeling empty is perhaps one way to describe it. I don't think that 'guilty' would really describe Michael at that point, perhaps he was feeling it but it wasn't quite what was portrayed. It just seemed really genuine, I'm failing a bit at describing it - just watch the scenes, you'll get what I mean!
One of the things I found most interesting as a viewer of the film as a whole is that throughout the film I wasn't sure if either of them would cheat, and if one of them did who it would be. It also made me think about boundaries - what would 'count' as cheating? Is it kissing? Is it sex? Is it something else? Is emotional cheating less, more or the same as physical cheating?
I think the idea of secrets is very important. If it's something you wouldn't want to tell your husband/wife then you probably need to consider the idea that it's cheating.
My comments on how it has been made
Something I would definitely say of this film is that it is a film of few words. So much is said through the moments where no one is speaking. I find that so amazing. The film is simply beautiful.
One thing I found very interesting about how it has been edited is that it's not always 100% chronological. At the beginning it switches between the evening events (them getting ready, being at the party) and shots of them each in their taxi on the way home. It's been cut so well that it doesn't feel disjointed at all - it just adds the emotion and understanding of the characters and the film. Also the same technique was used throughout the film in shorter time span moments - e.g. when Michael and Laura are in the pool and talking, towards the end it swaps between a shot of her getting out of the pool, back to them talking in the pool, and then back to them after getting out.
Also, sometimes a tiny clip is used repeated, or there is a purposeful lack of continuity - for example a couple with their heads close together, move apart, then switch to a clip where they're together again and move apart. Somehow it really fits.
The decision to cut the end like they did, at a moment where you really wanted to know what she would say, and you didn't quite expect it to be cut like that - was perfect.
I don't really remember the background music, when I actually try to think about it I can't come up with anything. Perhaps that proves that the background music was good! It didn't distract, it just worked. I'm sure I would have noticed if there actually wasn't any, so it must have just been very well suited and blended into the film.
*goes to flick through and listen again*
Yeah, it's very minimal. There are large chunks that seem to be just dialogue or silence, no background music - that definitely adds to the 'real' feel of the film. The music that is there is mainly quite simple, but beautiful piano music, and in some sections there's a bit more of a beat and some other instruments thrown in. It definitely works amazingly with the film - perfect.
There's only one moment I particularly remember there being dialogue where it wasn't the characters on screen that were talking - it's Jo talking about Michael, and there are some shots of Michael (I think this might happen a couple of times - when she's talking to Patrick, and later to Alex - about being faithful). I think that it works really well, it's odd how you notice little changes like that so much more when the film is quite minimal in it's approach.
The acting is, of course, vital to the whole thing. Acted amazingly by a fantastic cast. Keira Knightley shone out above the rest but all of them were really good, so wonderful at subtle acting that portrayed things without complication. Sam Worthington is one that I can't necessarily recall a lot of different expressions on his face, but he definitely managed to portray the subtle changes in mood/feelings very well. I think that Eva Mendes plays Laura so well, with sort of mixed feelings, unsure how things are going to go but pursuing what she wants.
Conclusion
I didn't really go into watching the film with particularly high expectations, I just thought it looked interesting, but it certainly majorly exceeded my expectations. It's very thought-provoking, beautifully shot and put together, so much more minimal and natural than most films I watch. I'm so glad I watched it, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes films :).
Today was the first time I really tried recording a cover of my own. I'd done some stuff with video and very poorly recorded audio before but nothing with decent audio. I woke up this morning and decided that I felt like trying to record a song and then put it together at uni on Soundtrack Pro. I went on to record 'Eyes on Fire' by Blue Foundation, which I've been listening to for the last couple of days and I printed off the chords yesterday to play with - the ones I actually used are a semitone lower than what I got off the tabs online, but is the same key Blue Foundation did it in.
Anywho, I recorded the piano part on my piano and copied it onto my USB stick, I then listened to it in my headphones and recorded my vocals via a USB connected microphone onto Audacity. I then chucked it all on the USB stick (and converted the piano midi to a wav file online) and took it to uni.
When I got to uni I put the 2 elements together (plus one little bit of another layer in the second chorus). I edited the audio a little to get rid of clicks and pops and stuff.
It's being evil and not letting me embed the track so click here to hear it.
There are a few things I definitely would want to improve next time. I managed to get rid of most of the dodgy sounds but there's still a bit of clicking and stuff at the beginning and more in the high bit at the end that I want to get rid of. Some of the singing wasn't quite how I wanted it to be, but I pretty much did it in one take so it's not totally perfect. Also, I like the layering and perhaps would want to use more harmonies/layering after the chorus where I did a little bit.
I'm not sure why so many things I've been watching and reading recently are depressing. This is another one which made me cry a little towards the end.
*SPOILER ALERT*
This book is about a girl named Grace who wakes up in a locked white room with pens and paper. She doesn't remember how she got there but believes she was kidnapped by a guy she just met. We learn that she was planning to kill herself in a playground when she saw him on the swings and she went to talk to him in an attempt to make him leave so she could carry on, but instead found herself getting more drunk and eventually throwing up and letting him put her in his van. In the white room she is in, she has her own en-suite and he brings her good food and she lives comfortably while imprisoned. The book is basically her writing down her memories, trying to work through what happened, and how things ended up as they did.
She tells the story of how she fell in love with a boy named Nat who treated her well and made her feel worth something. She tells of how she fell out with her best friend Sal after she became pregnant (but wouldn't tell Grace who by) and consequently had an abortion. Grace self-harms and Sal was her best friend, the only one who really paid attention, saw what she was doing and tried to help her to stop doing it. Grace continued to cut herself despite her promises to Sal to stop. Her father killed himself several years before (I think when she was 14 - she's now 17) and her mother is rarely around, so Grace looks after (or doesn't look after) herself.
When she and Sal finally make up, she introduces her to Nat. She can't understand why they seem so awkward with each other and tries to make them like each other, also hoping to find a nice guy for Sal so she won't feel like a third wheel. The details in the writing are really interesting, all of the different things that hint at what really happened, things that Grace doesn't seem to notice or perhaps subconsciously ignores. She sometimes feels like she's not quite understanding what's going on, but assumes it's not really important. Nat's younger brother knows Grace and tries to tell her the truth about Nat, and because of her stubborness, this eventually ends in him texting her from Nat's phone to come over and she sees Nat and Sal together (though it's not all as bad as it looks - they are emotionally involved, but Nat wasn't the one who got Sal pregnant, however being emotionally involved can in some ways be worse than physically involved).
Throughout the story it is switching back and forth between her writing her memories and her writing about this place she's trapped in, the white room, with Ethan occasionally coming in, but even when the opportunity presents itself, she somehow can't find the courage to escape from the room. Throughout the book you kind of know that the white room and Ethan aren't really real, but it's interesting to see how it plays out, and you're not 100% sure what the reality is going to be. Right at the end of the book it is the things that Grace can hear, people talking to her, and it's clear that she never met Ethan, she was never kidnapped, she tried to kill herself and has been unconscious, in a coma throughout this whole time, trying to work through all of this. At the end of the book she hasn't woken up yet, but she has hope, and she's going to try.
The end is really depressing and you kind of want to know what would have happened if she woke up, but this is definitely a better ending - the promise of a different life (one of the people talking to her is her mother, apologising for not being there for her, explaining how she herself was struggling to cope without her husband and promising that it would change) and an unsure hope for the future.
It kind of reminds me of the end of the film 'Sliding Doors' (which I love) - where Helen is in a coma after being hit by a car, and James is holding her in his arms in the hospital, promising that they are going to have a wonderful life together, and then the monitor goes flat as she finally dies. Though sometimes I do actually get angry at that ending, I like happy endings, but it is all a little more interesting that way round. There's always hope in their other life in the film - where she does wake up from her coma. Anywho, that's a discussion for another day.
I don't think I've really done the book justice with my description but hopefully it'll do! Would definitely recommend the book, though if you've read this, I'm sorry for ruining the story, still worth a read :).
Today as I was checking my e-mails I got a little pop up message asking me if I wanted to keep my password reset e-mail address the same. The e-mail address was one I haven't used in an extremely long time, though I can still access it (but hadn't for a very long time, I sort of check it about once every 2 years).
This ended up prompting me to go check that address (and check it still actually worked). Having logged in, I began to look at a few of my old e-mails and had a little nostalgia moment. That account is the first one I used after arriving in the UK, and I used it for about a year before getting a hotmail account so that I could use msn (another thing I haven't used in a long time!). So on my account I've got all these saved e-mails between me and my friends back in NZ at the beginning of it all, I was in contact with so many more people than I am now (though of course I have most of them as Facebook friends, but it's a little different from actually communicating).
I actually felt quite sad looking at those e-mails, some of them really reminded me how much I was missing NZ at the beginning and how lonely I felt. Among them were some e-mails between me and a guy who I was really good friends with and I don't quite know why we stopped e-mailing, I'm pretty sure it was quite a sudden thing. Though of course looking at all our e-mails they were never really anything that interesting or significant, though to an 11 year old I suppose they seemed more important at the time. I also came across a nasty e-mail I had pretty much forgotten about which really crapped on me while I was down, it was from a boy I used to go to school with (who is actually a Facebook friend, lol, good old Facebook).
Of course the worst thing that I found looking through those e-mails was something to do with myself. It seems I was actually one of those people who didn't type properly and used a kind of abbreviated text speak. I feel so ashamed. Luckily I was better than most, I think I did type normally quite a bit of the time but just used things like '4' and 'u' instead of 'for' and 'you'. In retrospect I think I was probably just trying to fit in a little at the time because 'everyone' typed like that, though as I got a little older I realised that it really annoyed me, so I started typing like a proper human being, lol. Ok, yes, I still use lol and a few others, but that's still a lot better!
So that was the most unfortunate realisation anyway. There was some quite nice stuff on there too, but looking at them feels quite odd, I don't quite remember being that person, I really wasn't very grown up at all but I did grow up quickly once I moved here. I was probably only like that for that year, I think when I was 12 I was starting to think a lot more like an adult and thinking everything through rationally, and by 13 I was pretty much a little grown up when it came to dealing with difficult situations. Not with my parents of course, with them I was still quite a brat throughout my teens, but with other people I think I dealt quite well.
Anywho, I just felt like a little nostalgic blog, not really interesting enough for anyone to particularly want to read it, but interesting for me to remember my 11th year.
Oh yes, I also went on myspace for the first time in a very long time (I had to reset my password as I couldn't remember what I'd used). It felt a little odd, It's changed since I last used it (as would be expected). I feel so old, lol - back in my day (oh dear), you could make your own layout and put the coding in the 'about me' box, so that's what I did, and at the time it looked really good. Now they've removed that, so now in the about me box it has all of these random things shoved together there. I couldn't be bothered to change it though as it's not really worth the effort when I never go use it. Did have a flick through some of my old pictures which felt weird, but also kind of nice.
Right, I'd better go, I need some breakfast and then got to get ready for work!
I was just going to write about a few films I've seen recently but realised there were a few things that had a bit of a 'depressing but powerful' theme running through them so thought I'd go with that instead. I haven't particularly said what the films are about, just my opinions, so I'm assuming you either know the basic plot, or can quickly look it up if you're curious - at some point I may update this post so you get a basic idea but don't have time at the moment.
I've been watching a whole lot of films recently, and one that is definitely a new favourite for me is 'Never Let Me Go'. I had read the book previously and finally reserved and borrowed the film from the library. I thought the film would be able to capture the emotion of the film but I wasn't sure if it would be able to have a fully formed plot that didn't miss out anything vital. I needn't have worried, this was one occasion when I really felt like the book and film were both excellent. The bits missed out of the film that were in the book felt only like a little bit background information, filling out the world of the book, but with the visual information of the film it didn't matter that these little pieces were omitted.
I would definitely recommend both book and film, though they are very sad and emotional. I love the final scene of the film where Kathy says:
'We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time.'
Also related, Carey Mulligan who plays Kathy is such a wonderful actress, I've loved her work ever since I saw her as Sally Sparrow in Doctor Who - 'Blink' is still one of my favourite Doctor Who episodes. I think that the main trio of Never Let Me Go was perfectly cast, both as adults and children. I hadn't seen Andrew Garfield in much before, I think I'd only seen him in 'The Social Network', and that was as a very different character so I was interested to see whether he would do this well and he definitely did.
Again, on the vein of depressing films, I watched 'Changeling' the other day. I hadn't previously realised it was a true story, so when it showed that at the beginning of the film, it made it all the more powerful. You could really feel the frustration of the main character and how she was being blocked at every turn and she did come across as a very strong character though had her very emotional moments too. It's probably not one I would watch again, but I did find it most interesting the first time round. It would have been interesting to see a bit more of the police conspiracy etc. come to light but I think they tried to stick as much as possible to the true story and just hint a little with artistic license - e.g. the part where the boy who is being taken away says that it was the police that told him to say he was Walter. It wasn't really a role I would have previously thought of Angeline Jolie in but she played it very well, I think she is very good at portraying emotion through her eyes and that comes through very well in this film.
Lastly, one of my friends has become addicted to Ed Sheeran. She played this song, 'Little Lady', the other day for me and another friend to listen to and I wanted to post it on here. Note: This song includes swearing.
I've recently watched the series 'Camelot' starring Jamie Campbell Bower and Eva Green (among the many wonderful cast members).
I very much like dramas from that sort of era so was quite interested to see how they had approached it. I didn't really know much about the series before watching it, so it was quite interesting to see.
I felt like it would be something quite good to blog about right now so I'm seizing the moment (even if the moment is at 2:18 in the morning when I should be going to bed - I'm sitting in bed, that counts, right?).
My thoughts on the characters:
Jamie Campbell Bower makes an excellent Arthur, he is not someone I would have imagined in the role but they have reinvented it in a great way. I think he plays it very well and I like that his character seems quite transparent in a lot of ways. There's a certain naive quality to it all which really draws you to be interested in his character.
Guinevere is one that surprised me. In many ways the character is what I would expect from this type of drama, but I had only seen Tamsin Egerton in St Trinians so came into it with this completely different character stuck in my head that I couldn't quite shake to begin with. However as the series went on I found that her acting when it came to emotional scenes was spot on and you really felt for her character despite her flaws.
Eva Green is amazing as Morgan Pendragon. I'd seen her in a couple of films and this really showed another level to her acting. The depth of her character was very layered and in some moments it was hard to second guess her. She has a certain bewitching quality and the accent she has really adds to this mystique. I loved how she really had clear motive for what she did and how she showed strength and malicious power alongside a certain vulnerability in certain moments where you see a childlike quality in her.
Leontes is amazing, Phillip Winchester play the part brilliantly. I don't know why Guinevere would ever cheat on him, he's fantastic. 'nuff said. Though I would like to mention that I enjoy how his character does have a little more depth than just being there to create a love triangle. He's great.
Igraine is played by the wonderful Claire Forlani, who I had only seen previously in Meet Joe Black (a film that I very much like). She is another actress who I felt performed amazingly in this series. I love how the character is strong and determined and really cares for others. I think she was particularly good in the episode where she played Igraine locked up in Castle Pendragon and Morgan posing as Igraine at Camelot.
I loved this new reimagining of Merlin, I was only sad to see that you didn't really get to know his character that much, you just saw him as this mysterious guy with a mysterious past. Joseph Fiennes is bewitching in this part, which gives him a sort of link with Morgan - the characters both have this quality which is a little otherworldy - which I suppose stems from the magical forces that both have a connection with. I was interested in the idea that he had been around for thousands of years and was sad that this wasn't really explored.
The character of Kay is also fantastic, I love that Arthur has a brother, someone he can really connect with from their joint past - someone who really knows him. I like how this grounded the Arthur character to some extent.
Can't really be bothered to name any of the other characters, but I like the women in this as they very strong and in many ways quite modern (ooh, and Vivien looks awesome). And I like how the other warriors who fight with Arthur have a bit of their own stories as well (even if I just did refer to them as 'other warriors').
A few notable positives about the series:
As previously mentioned, the strong female characters are a great addition, I love the modernity that strengthens this.
Arthur's fickleness is great, I love how flawed the character is - I think that the writers really managed to capture a humanity in all of the characters, allowing for flaws and attempted retribution for some of these.
The fact that magic took it's toll in a very clear physical way was a great take on the idea. The scenes where Morgan is kind of dying are very powerful, and the scene in the last episode with Merlin wanting and trying to save Igraine is really emotional.
The sets and costumes are completely outstanding! 10/10 for that!
A few less great things:
There seemed to be quite a lot of unnecessary nudity which slightly annoyed me. Why put it in where it's not needed? The plot was quite happy without it! Some of it I suppose was needed (or at least needed to be implied), but some of it really did seem to have no purpose.
Why start to explore the idea of magic with Merlin and Morgan and then just cut it off without any real depth put in? I felt like they considered going down the dark road to weird evil magic stuff and then after starting decided that it wasn't the way to go and moved on.
Looking back over the whole thing I think the first half of the series was really promising, the second half was ok but started to go a little downhill towards the end and was completely ruined by the dodgy incest scene at the end. Fair enough, they were trying to have something to feed into the next series (which was then cancelled) but it was a little disturbing and I would have much more happily accepted a few more deaths and the promise of something better to come.
So I guess overall I quite enjoyed the series, I like that this allowed for a certain amount of darkness in the script, but I would probably prefer the family friendly programme 'Merlin'. I only cringe at the really weird looking little gremlin type evil things they throw in occasionally. Apart from that I'm a big fan.
There were a lot of great new songs at Soul Survivor this year, so this is my second post about the music - this one is about the new Soul Survivor Watford songs. I've been searching my memory and the internet to put together as many lyrics as I can of these songs, hope it's helpful. Please let me know if I've got some lyrics wrong or you can fill some gaps for me! Though hopefully I'll be able to do that myself when I go back for Momentum on Friday :).
My favourite song from this week is one which I think might be by Beth Croft. Don't think they said who wrote it but I had in my head that it was her. I'm not sure what it's called, but other people seem to have been referring to it as 'Arms of Grace' so I will also do so.
Arms of Grace
Verse 1 How many times have
You found me wandering
In the rubble of yesterdays hope
Weighed down with burdens
Barely standing but
I am desperate to see you again, see you again
Chorus Running into your arms of grace
With no reason to hide away
It’s not the first time I’ve been in this place
I’m coming home again
I’m welcomed home again
Verse 2 How great the cost that
Paid my journey back
You gave your only son and carried me home
Now I am chosen
How else could I respond
I’ve been captured by your unfailing love, your unfailing love
Bridge Your arms are open wide
Grace takes me back again
You always take me back
There’s mercy in your eyes
Thank you Lord for loving me
There’s nothing like your love
Roughly the format is: Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Bridge x2, Chorus x2
This next one was sung quite a lot at Week B. Again I'm not sure of the name, so have gone for one that seems to fit.
You Never Give Up On Us
Verse 1 You’re the God of salvation
We call on your name
You came to redeem us
You carry our shame
We stumble and fall down
We turn from your ways
In you we find mercy
We’re held in your grace
Held in your grace
Chorus You never give up on us
Never let go or turn away
We’re holding onto you
Our God is strong
Our God is good
Verse 2 You’re the God of compassion
The friend of the least
Not coming to be served
You serve those in need
We surrender our burdens
Our lives at your cross
We trust in the saviour
The God who is love
Our God is love
Moving on to ones I have fewer lyrics for... this one I think is by Sam Parker, I only had the chorus and bridge, but found verse 2 on a video. I don't have the lyrics for the first verse so if anyone does, please let me know! :)
Your Love is Amazing
Verse 2 Though I have tasted
What this world offers
It never satisfies
But now I will be
What your love makes me
I’m seeing with new eyes
Pre-Chorus For your love reaches the deepest part of me
Defines who I am and what I’ll be
Chorus Your love is amazing God,
So high, so vast
It reaches even me
Now that you’ve found me Lord
My heart is yours
This is where I want to be
Bridge And how beautiful
How merciful
How wonderful is your love
x2
I really love the pre-chorus of that song, it's short but has brilliant lyrics...
The next song is 'Our God is for us', I had to get the lyrics from a video so I'm not sure of quite a few - have coloured them purple. If you can correct or confirm any for me, that'd be great!
Our God is for us
Verse 1 In you we find mercy and grace
We are overwhelmed
Cannot comprehend
Or fathom your great love
A love so undeserved
That is for us
Verse 2 In you we find peace for our lives
We are satisfied
Walking in this truth
The kindness of your heart
Will lead us as we are
‘Cause you are for us
Bridge Your love it burns so fierce for us
Your love conquered death on a cross
Chorus 1 Our God is for us
Our God is with us
Your promises are sure
In you we are secure
Our God is for us
Verse 3 In you we find hope for the world
We are riding out
To see your kingdom come
To follow in your ways
And all you have now praise You are for us
Bridge
Chorus 2 Our God is for us
Our God is with us
Your promises are sure
In you we are secure
Our God is for us
Our God is with us
Forever we’re assured
Your love it will endure
Our God is for us
Bridge x3
Chorus 3 Our God is for us
Our God is with us
Your promises are sure
In you we are secure
Our God is for us
Our God is with us
Forever we’re assured
Your love it will endure
Our God is for us
Our God is with us
Your promises are sure
In you we are secure
Our God is for us
Lastly, there was a song which I think might be by Tom Field, I didn't get many of the lyrics, but hopefully can rectify that at Momentum. See what I've got of it below.
Bridge: Nothing else Jesus could ever take your place,
You are higher, greater
My heart and soul
Lift up Your name,
Forever I'll proclaim
Chorus: Hallelujah
Chains are broken, broken
Hallelujah
Love has spoken, spoken
You are all I need,
Jesus all I need is you
I think they've really got some beautiful songs in there, I may have to buy this years album when it comes out! Hope this is helpful for anyone looking for the lyrics! Enjoy :)
NB: I've also got a few amusing quotes from Soul Survivor here.
I absolutely love the new songs that they played at Soul Survivor this year - I just got back from week B where I was doing seminar recording, and I'm doing it again at Momentum in a few days.
There were quite a lot of songs that were new to me this year, I was a bit sad that some of the new ones from last year weren't very present - particularly 'My Praise Overflows' which I really loved. I also noticed that they played 'Our God' by Chris Tomlin rather a lot (this was Week B).
Anyway, in this post I will put some of the amazing songs that were played that were new to me, not including the ones from this year written by Soul Survivor Watford which I'll make another post for so I can include as many lyrics as possible.
The one below was a new one to me, it's 'One Thing Remains' by Jesus Culture, the chorus is my favourite bit :).
I was chatting to my sister about this one below, and we both really liked how it said 'we are here for you' rather than talking about stuff God can do for us. But instead we are here to worship God for his glory.
This next one, 'We are the Free' by Matt Redman, was the sort of 'Oh oh oh' anthem from this year, they tend to have a different one each year, works really well in a festival setting...
The next video is actually a 'how to' by one of the guys who wrote it. It's 'Once in Darkness' by Luke Hellebronth, Beth Croft and David Gate. You can find the chords or hear it at Worship Central. It was played quite a lot at SSB, particularly the last couple of days, it's a really good song.
This last one is actually last year but I hadn't heard it before - I was at Momentum last year but was on Catering so missed or was late to a lot of the main meetings. It's 'Light the Sky' by Jamie Rodwell.
So those are all the ones I particularly wanted to put on my blog, I hope you enjoy them like I did :). I'm in the process of doing another post to follow this with lyrics of some of the new Soul Survivor Watford songs, so that should be up shortly...
It's been a while since I last blogged. I shall hopefully be blogging a little more over the summer, as I'll have less uni work to occupy my mind. Hopefully I will have a job, but so far there's no promising news on that...
Anywho, today I wanted to post a lovely recipe for a flourless chocolate cake that I made yesterday for the birthday of my wheat allergic housemate :). It's very tasty.
Mmm, Tasty Flourless Chocolate Cake
I really should have a better picture, but wasn't thinking about blogging it til just now...
For cake:
400g plain chocolate, broken up
6 tablespoons water
12 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
For filling/topping:
2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons confectioners sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons Grand Marnier*
*I substituted 4 tablespoons cocoa and 1 teaspoon orange extract (the recipe I found suggested vanilla extract, but I'd run out) - it was really tasty - might use slightly less cocoa powder next time, but it was still good.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 170°C. Line cake tin (I think mine was something like a 20cm round springform tin).
Melt chocolate with water in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring. Cool to lukewarm.
Beat yolks, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt until thick and pale for about 5 minutes. Stir in melted chocolate until combined. In a separate HUGE bowl, beat 12 egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.
Add remaining sugar and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. Fold one third of whites into melted-chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining whites carefully.
Pour batter into cake tin. Bake until a knife or skewer inserted comes out clean (Took about 45 minutes - I was checking ever 15 mins) - May need to cover top with baking paper part way through so top is not burned (I did this after the first 15 minutes). Leave to cool for a while, remove from tin and once cool enough, put into fridge. Note - Cake will still be kind of wobbly/squishy when removed from tin due to it's flourless nature, but will firm up in the fridge.
To make the filling:
In a clean large bowl, beat cream with icing sugar and Grand Marnier (or substitute) until it just holds stiff peaks.
To assemble the cake:
Remove cake from fridge and slice in half horizontally. Carefully move top layer to another plate. Spread about half mixture on bottom layer, replace top layer and spread remainder of cream on top. Decorate as you wish :).
Keep cake in the refrigerator until serving time.
Notes:
I've put it here the way I did it, for the original recipe I found, click here. Most of the alterations I made were just because I didn't have the stuff needed, so the other recipe is probably better... but this way still works well :).
You really do need one or two big bowls for this, I had to juggle the mixture between two bowls when I was folding the two parts together as there was so much of it! But I've only got 1 medium sized mixing bowl, so this probably isn't as much of a problem for other people...
Well, I've been quite busy so haven't really been putting anything on here. Work is slowly getting done for uni, I really need to speed up the process, but at least I'm chugging along atm rather than just being stuck. Been attempting to create some sound for a whiteboard video I'm making atm, hopefully it'll work. Going to pop into uni in a little bit to try and get it together for my tutorial tomorrow...
Anyway, on a non-work related note (which is quite refreshing, after the few hours...), I thought I'd put up a couple of rather cool things I like :).
I saw on facebook that someone I know made Ninjabread men! Which is rather exciting. Later in the day I was browsing Firebox and came across the cutters (I hadn't been sure if she'd used cutters or not), which you can buy here.
I have looked through the images on the page, and I don't think any of them look as awesome as Helen's ones :) - see picture below (aren't they so much cooler!).
As I continued to browse Firebox I also came across this rather cool clock, which is kind of graphic arty. I want one! It's so quirky and pretty :).
I totally admit I'm a big Glee fan, the story lines are quite interesting and so on, the characters fluctuate between being more and less loveable as time progresses, but the thing I really love is the music. The mash-ups are brilliant, and I really loved the way they were updating old classics in the first series. There have been fewer songs in the second series that I've loved straight away, but then again I've not seen the whole series yet.
My favourite song from the second series so far is 'Teenage Dream' (is it bad that my favourite song isn't sung by New Directions?), anywho, had to share it with you :).
One of my other favourites from this series is 'Lucky' (and aren't they cute!)
I really like Dianna Agron - she has quite a distinct voice which I really like - also, can't wait to see 'I am Number Four' which stars her and Alex Pettyfer (who I think is great too), out next week!
Today I discovered that there was a TV movie version of 'Avalon High' by Meg Cabot, which happens to be pretty much my favourite Meg Cabot book, so I was quite interested at the prospect of a filmed version. I managed to find it on YouTube and proceeded to watch it. Starting off under the impression that they stayed true to the book, I was quite enjoying it, though noticing some changes which made little sense to me, so I decided to look up what differences there were between book and film (while still watching). I came across the Wikipedia page for it, and expecting to see that there were a few minor changes written there, I was extremely surprised to note that they'd basically completely changed the book. From that point, I was already disappointed but trying to think of it as something completely separate from the book and still enjoy it as a separate piece...
Here's where the major spoilers come in - as copied from Wikipedia:
In the movie, Ellie (Allie in the film) rather than Will is King Arthur. Rather than Marco, Mr. Morton (Mr. Moore in the film) is Mordred, whereas Miles is Merlin as opposed to Mr. Morton. Marco is a member of the Order of the Bear determined to protect Will. The climax battle scene occurs in the ravine in the book, but occurs in the school theater (which magically becomes a beach) in the movie. Presumably, this is to make the film more unpredictable. Also the students are the reincarnations of the actual characters as oppose to merely corresponding to them. "Allie" is an only child, her brother is no longer a character. Will's father is not trying to make him join the navy. Will does not sail and does not have a dog, therefore there are no connections to the names of Arthur's dog and boat. (Will is not Arthur, hence the elimination.) Avalon High's team name is the Knights, not Excalibur. Many scenes were cut out and scene settings were changed to make the movie more appropriate for younger children because the book has violent and some threatening scenes.
So basically, they switched around all of the main characters. I was quite disappointed by this, but I think it could have been pulled off if they had added more threads into the story. The most annoying thing was that since Will wasn't Arthur, all of the little things which made you think he was Arthur seemed pointless, and no extra interesting things were put in to point towards Allie being Arthur so it made everything seem very random instead of destined as was intended.
Thoughts on the characters:
I liked the portrayal of Allie by Britt Robertson, I thought she held the movie really well. She's actually the reason I came across the movie as I had searched her on imbd after watching some episodes of 'Life Unexpected' (really enjoying it :D). She didn't really have the right look for the character if you're thinking about the book, but with the decision that she was to be King Arthur, I think that her appearance was quite appropriate.
I loved the character of Miles, despite the fact he wasn't in the book, I really enjoyed the performance and he's quite a loveable character, perhaps the only character aside from Allie that the writers had decided to try and give any depth.
What can I say about Will... I thought he was ok. The look was fine, I think, but the way the character was played really lacked depth. This was probably mainly down to the writers, and with the decision that he wasn't Arthur - they must have decided not to really focus on his character... To me, he came across as perhaps a little slow and naively happy - kind of reminiscent of James Marsden's portrayal of Prince Edward in 'Enchanted' (which I love btw). He's supposed to be some deep thinker, but I really wasn't seeing it.
Lance and Jen barely got any screen-time apart from their secret looks and meetings which meant their characters didn't really get a chance to have any depth, and they were clearly there just to provide the love triangle (which didn't really have any significance since Will wasn't Arthur).
I liked the casting for both Marco and Mr Moore - they would have still fitted the characters if the script stuck to the book. Marco had an unfortunate, very cheesy line towards the end - something like "I was only doing it to keep you safe. Treating you guys like that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."
I quite liked Allie's parents - they fitted the roles quite well, and fitted well enough with my ideas from the book.
Thoughts on other things:
The 'flashbacks' were quite interesting, they were a useful way of showing the connections between people, and they fit well with the idea of Allie as Arthur.
Really disappointed with the destruction of any meaning or depth in the circumstances in comparison to the story of Arthur. E.g. Lance and Jen losing their significance with 'Arthur', all the little things there were about Will in the book that pointed towards him being Arthur (names of boat, dog, etc.), the relationship of 'Arthur' to 'Mordred', well, you get the picture.
There were some very cheesy lines in there - but hey, it was a Disney film.
The special effects were interesting, very Disney-ish, e.g. the theatre transforming into a beach with fully armoured knights, the sword becoming Excalibur, Mr Moore becoming Mordred - Arthurian style.
The removal of the whole 'Lady of the lake' thing was disappointing - I suppose they had a different surprise instead, but I don't think it was half as good...
Anywho, on the whole, I think that as a Disney film, it's quite a fun one to watch, a little cheesy, some entertaining special effects and a completely unrealistic appearance, all pretty good. However, in comparison to the book I thought it was quite a disappointment. As long as you don't start watching it with the impression that it's actually going to be the fantastic story you've read with interesting detail and back-story links, then I think it's still quite an enjoyable movie.
