MTV Movie Awards 2015 - My Fashion Review

I don't know what it is about the fashion at this latest award season but I was bored - like in a coma bored. There was no fashion moments at all. Every award show I was thinking 'ok maybe they are saving The Dress for the next award show', I was wrong every time and I hate been wrong. I think maybe the best fashion we saw maybe have been at the Golden Globes - Julianne Moore in that silver Givenchy dress has stuck with me.

So I lay my cards on the table and I was like this is the award show, this is the show where we are going to see some fashion moments. It's MTV for god's sake, there are no rules. Wear what you want and make no apologies. We have a much younger crowd and and a much younger celeb pool. Damn, wrong again. Watching the stars on the red carpet bored me once again. A lot of thigh cut dresses, a few geometric shapes, oh look - legs legs legs. We saw a lot of knees, which is uncomfortable for me as I hate my knees but I digress. I picked a few looks from the night for us to discuss and ponder. I don't particularly have a best or worst dressed list - just a list.

Shailene Woodley
I don't know how to spell the noise of exasperation, but I will give it a go - peurgh. Boring. I get she has this free spirit, eats clay and uses beets for makeup but come on. The reason we look up to celebrities is because they are unattainable, they have access that we can only dream of. I could probably get in a taxi, drive down past Central St. Martins and slap about 30 students on the back of the head who would love to dress her and could do it a damn lot better than this. If she was going for comfort then I give it to her, she looks comfortable. I champion anyone who mixes patterns so well done for that, but those boots are too heavy. The fault is in her closet (get it? I am hi-lar-ious)

Scarlett Johansson 
Honest to Jesus the first thought I had when I saw her was 'oh, Jane Fonda looks good'. Lie to me and tell me you don't see what I am talking about. This is the kind of outfit that would make an older lady look more youthful, but unfortunately it works the complete opposite way round on Scarlett.  Also if you are going to wear a jumpsuit it has to be perfectly tailored. She has an amazing body and you can't see an inch of it, also it is too long. It should graze the floor, not cover it. I feel like a thin belt would have elevated this look a touch more - anything would have elevated this outfit more. Taking the outfit of would have elevated the outfit more.

Jennifer Lopez
Does this woman age? Like seriously. She could probably play her own daughter in a biopic and no one would question the casting choice. Anyway back to the fashion. Gorgeous. Age appropriate. My favourite colour. Legs for days. Perfect cleavage. The gold on black might be a bit brash but it works for me and for the location. If I had to say anything negative (and this took a lot of soul searching) it would be the shoes; I hate thin ankle straps. They cut the leg and can make you look dumpy. Also there may be one too many bracelets. Lopez is the queen, she rarely disappoints and everyone else should take notes on how this is done.

Amy Shumer
HILARIOUS! I love this woman. Nevers fails to make me laugh. I have never looked at Amy for fashion but I am going to start. She is flaunting all her best assets. Boobs and legs. The thick white lines draw the eyes in to all the right places, the hair is effortlessly quaffed and the accessories are minimal - which is dead on because this outfit doesn't call for them. If we could take a moment to appreciate the shoes. I love a peep toe pump. They elongate the leg, give you an excuse to spend some dollars on a pedicure and they suit everyone. She has just upped her game by like a thousand points.

Kiersey Clemons
She is an undeniable star on the rise. She is stunning and talented. She is going places. And right now she is going to top of my fashion list. This dress is effortless. MTV has no rules and you could wear ready to wear or couture. Kiersey has found the perfect medium. I am not normally a fan of yellow and I would personally never wear it, but against her skin tone this is flawless. The draped top half shows of her figure and floor hitting skirt adds height and is beautiful. I also like the sleeve length, it looks wrong and maybe too long but the gathering at the wrist adds to the relaxed chic. My one criticism, and its a tiny one, is the slit. It stops at a weird height. It either needs to ride right up to the top or no slit at all. I think all the way to top would be sexier and give the gown a more robe appearance which could work so well.

Cara Delevingne 
It is so rare to see someone's star rise so fast, lately it seems to be Cara's world and we just have the privilege to watch her. Coming from the fashion world we shouldn't be shocked that she knows how to rock a carpet. Personally I am not in love with this dress, but I actually think its the styling I don't like more than the dress it self. Her hair kind of ruins it for me. I think a fuller, more relaxed wavy hair do would have done the dress more justice. And also because she has so much leg out I think a more wow shoe could have been worn. My main concern with the dress is the sleeves. My God I hate bell bottom sleeves. They are old fashioned and I don't understand. I think a slim fit sleeve would have been perfection.

Jessie J
Oh Jessie, Jessie, Jessie. Face palm. What is this? Are you retiring to Florida? Are you a big fan of Liza Minnelli? Are you trying to do a one woman version of 'Creep" by TLC but with a thousand more sequins? I don't understand. The colour does nothing for your skin tone, the hair needs some more umph and the choker just seems unnecessary. I love you Jessie, your last album was perfect and your voice is unmatched. This was just a fail. I am jealous of your body and I can't imagine the work that goes in to it so why wouldn't you want to show it off?! Jesus knows I would.

I would just like to take a moment to celebrate three of my favourite looks from the night. Step forward Hailee Steinfeld and Rebel Wilson. Then of course the incomparable Bai Ling - she wore a freaking dragon!!

Why 'The Fault in Our Stars' is important.

Reading a quick description of this book would not give it justice or entice many people to read it. The skeleton of this book is that is a love story, a love story of two teenagers each battling cancer or some variant of the disease. I will give it you, it doesn't sound like a laugh riot of a story; it does have a few laughs in it, the kind of laughs that are heartwarming and helps to push the point that even in our darkest times we can crack a smile. It is a deep, emotional, make-your-eyes-sting-from-crying kind of story. Written by the genius that is John Green, it is a story that touches you and gives you an outlook on life we don't always seek out. The slap in the face realism of teenagers suffering from incurable diseases really makes you think, well it did me. Excuse the lame cliche but life is short. I took a lot away from this book; so below I wrote a few things that I think are important messages from this book.

SPOILER ALERT . SPOILER ALERT . SPOILER ALERT . SPOILER ALERT

Death
John Green isn't afraid to explore the world of death in this story, and why should he be? It is the one certainty of life.  These characters have it forced upon them in the most cruelest way, they have incurable diseases that have a best before date stamped on the side like a bottle of milk. What shocked me the most is the speed in which it happens. Augustus' death was a huge shocker to me, to me he seemed like the healthiest of the bunch, he was getting over his illness and living a normal as normal life he could. Then it took a swift detour of a cliff. He died so suddenly leaving behind a broken hearted Hazel and Isaac. However, because they have had to face the inevitable for so long they take it, they learn from it and they accept it. They aren't by any stretch of the imagination happy about it but they deal and they are grateful for what they get. There is a great quote from the book which had me in tears:

'There are days, many of them, when I resent the size of my unbounded set.I want more numbers than I’m likely to get, and God, I want more for Augustus Waters than he got. But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.' Hazel Grace

Pain
"That's the thing about pain," Augustus said, and then glanced back at me. "It demands to be felt."

I am in love with this quote, it is so real and deep and its something that no one actually wants to accept. However they have had to accept it, it is their truth on a daily basis. And just like death they deal with it. No one should have to live with pain but unfortunately it is a part of life, we have to feel it to know that we feel something. This book explores pain in many different way, it has emotional pain, physical pain and mental pain. The most powerful message I got from the book is that pain is human nature, we have to go through it but it doesn't have to be the be all and end all. There is a time that the pain stops.

Love
I may not be advertising this book very well, especially to people that don't enjoy a depressing read. If you ignore the pain and death there is a timeless love story there. Through unfortunate circumstances these two beautiful people meet. They have an undeniable spark and a banter that just makes them connect. Sadly they do have a strong connection through their similarities.
When you watch them together in the film, or visualise it from the book you don't see the cancer when they are together. I see love, undeniable, gorgeous, youthful love. They each found someone that cares about them that isn't afraid for everyone to know (evident by a kiss in front of a crowd of people at Anne Frank's Museum). They are inspirational because even when we go through our darkest periods in our life there is always that light, that little bit of joy that can make you forget about the darkness.

“But I believe in true love, you know? I don't believe that everybody gets to keep their eyes or not get sick or whatever, but everybody should have true love, and it should last at least as long as your life does.”

These are three topics all explored in this story. It is a real life mixture of things that we all face, some on a daily basis. I love this story because it goes beyond the love story, it is almost like a love life. It showcases the beginning, the struggles, the happiness, the simplicity, the complications and the untimely end.
I could talk about this book for hours, and with certain friends I have. It is something I believe everyone should read. It might not change your life, it might not even move you but it tells you a story. A story that hasn't been told this way before. Written from Hazel's point of view, John Green has an amazing talent to speak for a generation that he is longer part of. It is so authentic.
It is a major tear jerker but it can also make you laugh out loud. It can make your heart ache but also flutter. What I chose to get from this book is that we all have moments of pain, we all have moments where we want to give up; but what you have to hold on to is the true beauty of life. There are people in your life that make your life what it is and you shouldn't deny yourself the pleasure of being with them.
True love isn't something I have ever experienced, but I hold out for it one day. I hold out for my Augustus Waters. Okay?

Craig's Movie Club - The Sequel

So, no surprise here but I have been watching a few more films. Once again some were a bit lame but some were a bit fantastic. I saw some amazing acting, awesome locations and some inspirational moments - so lets go.

Carrie (2013)
We all know the old adage "Don't fuck with the original". Most of the time I agree. You can't recreate something that was perfect, for example when you make the most amazing meal and you want it again and again - it never tastes the same. Some films should remain untouched. 'Psycho' was one of these - why Vince Vaughn decided to sign on for the remake I will never know. However, 'Carrie' needed retelling. I don't want to insult anybody and diminish anyone's work but the original sucked. It was boring and was too reliant on people becoming invested in the title character. Lets all thank Jesus that someone decided to give it another shot. This movie was great. If you don't know the story I will try and quickly sum it up. Basically Carrie is a 17 year old girl, she is cruelly bullied for no reason, her mother believes Carrie is some sort of descendant of the devil and must be punished and to top it all off she develops telekinesis (the power to move things with her mind).
The ending of the film is beyond perfect, I was in awe throughout it. Carrie goes bat shit crazy when her tormentor drops a bucket of pig blood on her as she is crowned Prom Queen. The effects are top notch. Chloe Grace Moretz plays the title character and she was perfectly cast for the role. Julianne Moore plays her mother and for someone that is so naturally beautiful she plays this haggard role extremely well. This was a great retelling of a Stephen King classic, even though I have a slight moral problem with siding with someone who is basically a mass-murderer.

The Spectacular Now (2013)
When the words 'From the creators of (500) Days Of Summer' is written across a movie poster you know I will be seeing it. Unfortunately for Britain this film came and went without so much as a whisper. I could ask everyone I know about this film and I know only 1 other person would know what I was talking about. The story of the film is mainly based around an 18 year old called Sutter (nope, never heard that name before either), to cut it short he is basically an alcoholic with a lot of issues - he has no father in his life, he is failing some of his classes and his girlfriend just dumped him after a misunderstanding. Then Aimee, the beautiful Shailene Woodley, finds him passed out whilst on her paper route. It sparks up a beautiful little romance.
I have some pro's and con's for this film. It is a beautiful film and the acting is top notch. The relationship between the two main characters in incredibly believable. Some of the shots are stunning and I love all the location choices. The story is a great one and you really pull for Sutter and Aimee. Well now you have had your sugar it is time to take your medication - the ending! What was that? I get so frustrated when there is no closure as I get extremely attached to characters. She is just about to say something and BAM the credits, I even had to message a friend about my frustration. Another thing that kind of irked me was Aimee's character, don't get me wrong she is a great character with some amazing qualities, but she seems to lose some of herself when she gets in to the relationship and she becomes so all about Sutter - she breaks her arm for god sakes and apologises. Anyway regardless of this I thought it was great little film and I will definitely be watching it again.

Elf (2003)
This was my choice for the film to watch on Christmas morning with the fam. It is a great film, but let me get real on your ass for a couple of minutes - I used to hate it. I couldn't watch it, I thought it was stupid, I didn't like Will Ferrell and the story didn't interest me. I don't know what happened, maybe my heart grew 3 sizes Grinch style, but now I love it. It is such a funny film, literally laughing out loud through out, Will is amazing as Buddy and my beautiful Zooey is there. This movie is about a man called Buddy who is raised by elves and Santa Claus. As he is now in adulthood they tell him the truth and Buddy sets out to New York to find his father.
Hilarity ensues as he gets accustomed to life outside of the North Pole. His excitement of seeing Santa in a department store, his introduction to escalators and his many naive moments are what make this film so great. There is one moment that always makes me laugh and I don't think many others notice; he is walking his half-brother home and simply says 'So good news, I saw a dog today'. I think this one line just sums up everything I love about Buddy. So, I want to apologise to everyone connected to this film, I slagged it off to high heaven - but we all make mistakes.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
I had my reservations about this film, and I don't want to sound mean but I just haven't enjoyed much Ben Stiller has done since his one episode stint on 'Friends'. I think he is great at what he does, he makes millions of people laugh but I just don't. However I still went to see it, and thank the lord I did. It was so beautiful. If you are a fan of amazing landscapes and images of places you haven't seen before then this is the film for you.
The story centres around Walter Mitty (surprise), he works for a magazine, the magazine is publishing its last issue but the image for the cover is missing - so Walter goes on this great adventure to track down the photographer and get the photo. That is basically the skeleton of the story, there is so much to it. Walter is an avid day dreamer and imagines himself in amazing situations, but then it often comes crashing down on him as the realisation of his real life dawns on him. So this adventure is exactly what he needs and with it comes a lot of ups and downs. I won't ruin too much for you because you should discover this film for yourself. It was shot with such care for the locations it shows, you see some amazing sights. It is great film and I will definitely watch it again because I am sure I will discover more that I love about it. I am also a sucker for a great quote and this film is literally filled with them.

One Direction: This Is Us (2013)
I will put my hand up with no shame at all - I am a fan of One Direction. I don't understand why I should be ashamed at all. They are harmless, sing great pop songs and lets face it there is nothing wrong with 5 good looking boys looking back at you. When my friend told me she had a copy of the film I had no hesitation with setting a date for when we would watch it together. So, there I was, vodka-lemonade-lime in hand and I was ready to embrace One Direction. What I didn't expect was the film to be so good. I knew I was going to enjoy it but not to the extent that I did.
The cinematography was so good, the shots they chose were great and I really felt that I knew One Direction on such a deeper level then I did before I watched the film. We got to meet the real them, nothing felt staged and I believed everything they said. The film was obviously littered with performances, but I wasn't mad because they sang some of my favourite songs. Will I watch it again? I am not sure as I felt I got everything I could from the film, but I am so glad I watched it.