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!!

My Oscar Fashion Review

Okay, so how great were the Oscars this year? I actually really enjoyed them, I mean the relentless ad breaks began to get on my nerves but they were more than made up for by the actual show. Neil Patrick Harris was the perfect host, his jokes landed, his likeable personality shone through and the boy can sing and dance (of course with the help of the beautiful Anna Kendrick and sudden appearance of Jack Black). I am not too man enough to say I cried at a couple of moments, one been Common and John Legend's performance - it was powerful I tell ya. A few of my Oscar predictions came true, the company my friend works for won an Oscar last night (so I am now officially one step closer to been best friends with Meryl Streep - it is my destiny, I can taste it), all in all it was worth staying up till half 4 in the morning to watch, and I will do it again next year.

Now what I would normally do is praise my favourite dresses of the night and follow up with who I would re-dress. This time I thought I would do it a tad different. I didn't go against these fabulous women's choices - instead I just tweaked them a tad. Just a couple of small changes that I personally think would make them a tonne better. I am not one to against the heavyweights of Chanel and Elie Saab, this is purely my opinion. So, are you ready? Here are my tweaks.

Lupita in custom Calvin Klein 

I am not mad at this dress, I think it is beautifully made and sculpted to perfection. I can't even imagine the work that it took to sew on this many pearls perfectly. My only slight criticisms would be that I don't like the keyhole cutout on her chest or the weight/amount of material on her shoulders. The hole in the chest is way too distracting and I think actually cheapens the look, and lemme tell you there would be nothing cheap about this dress. The weight on the shoulders to me looks like a mistake, last minute decision to not have sleeves so her stylist bunched them up to create the almost cowl neck appearance. 

So what I did was I filled in the hole with more pearls, I slimmed down the material on the shoulders and for fun I filled in the neckline, bringing it right up to the chin almost. It was an experiment but I like the results.  

Zoe in custom Atelier Versace 
This dress didn't need much to make it better. It is classic Versace where it clings in all the right places with good structure around the chest and stomach. For someone who had twins not 2 seconds ago we have to applaud the body. There is just one big no no for me here - I can not stand spaghetti straps! They are ugly, cheap and you can be the thinnest person in the world but they will cut in to your shoulders, creating 2 lumps on each shoulder where it has pushed down all skin and muscle and separated it like Moses and the red sea. Plus you will forever be pulling them up.
All I did was remove the straps and you have to agree it looks so much better, the décolletage looks super hot now it hasn't been split in 3. Also a little cheeky thing I did was lift the underarms of the dress just to create a more flattering neckline.

Julianne in Chanel
I will never hate on this woman, the work she does is outstanding and that award had her name engraved on it for years now - it just had to be the right moment. My only issue with her dress was the band that ran around her hips. It elongated her torso, which I don't believe any woman in the entire world has requested from her designer. She almost has no shape in this dress, could have been the intention, but this woman has a banging body - ya got it ya flaunt it.
All I did was raise the band to her waist. I didn't bring in her waist to emphasize it, the illusion did the work for me. Doesn't it look so much better. It gives her a shorter more natural torso and legs for days. Winner.

Emma in Elie Saab
Emma can't do no wrong in my eyes, she is an example of human excellence. This dress however ... I just don't get the colour choice. I mean how would you even describe it? First of all is green or yellow? I just don't get it. The dress is beautiful don't get me wrong, the colour just doesn't give it justice. Elie Saab is a fashion house I have admired for years, the create dresses of such beauty, the epitome of feminine , so delicate - I couldn't admire them more.
I just made one simple change -  the colour. I took it from the drab yellow/green and make it a soft pink. I feel this colour compliments Emma's skin colour and hair colour so much more, it adds to the fantasy element and lets face it -  red hues were a popular colour of choice last night.

Nicole in Louis Vuitton
She is always one the people I look out for on E! Red Carpet Live. She is a fashion girl at the end of the day. She pushes the envelope with her choices and I have huge respect and admiration for that. This dress though, I love in parts and just scratch my head at others. I will start with what I like; the material, I know a lot of people won't like it or understand why. Let me let you in on a secret, you don't have to understand. Thats what make fashion fun. I like it because it is different, it doesn't require any accessories because it already is the star of the ensemble. That slit! It is perfect. Just the right height, just the right placement, enough said. What I don't like are the accessories. What is that belt? It looks like she spilt on her dress, ran to a haberdashery store before the awards, saw some shocking ribbon to distract from said spillage and strut on the carpet. It just doesn't work. Once again I applaud her choices, but even the Queen trips sometimes.
So what I changed was obviously the belt, I enjoyed the placement and the simplicity so I didn't get rid of it, instead I think a black belt would have worked so much better. It adds a more polished, finished look that I think the Oscar's asks for. Also a little change I did was a created a sweetheart neckline, I was just experimenting and I think it works. It is a very boom boom boom dress, there wasn't any extra pizazz or flirty element, and I think it is now elevated with just simple changes.

The Golden Globes 2015 - My Fashion Review

There were quite a few interesting looks on the red carpet this year,  interesting in the way that it was boring. One thing I like about the Golden Globes is that you can take high fashion risks, it is not like the Oscars where couture is taken seriously. This is where movie stars and TV stars unite to celebrate the work they have done in the last 12 months, they can have a drink, poke fun at world events and some even leave with a cute little trophy.

A few of the stand out looks for me were Kate Hudson, Emma Stone, Dakota Johnson and Jennifer Lopez. The Queen of the night for me was of course Julianne Moore in Givenchy. She has a lifetime of fashion moments and she rarely disappoints. At 54 she outshines all the newcomers with her beauty and style. I am always a fan of mixing textures and she knocked the nail on the head with metallics and feathers. The high neckline kept it respectable and the cut showed off her amazing arms and kick ass body. And if anyone knows me they know I enjoy a nice fish tail on a dress. So kudos to you Miss Moore, I can not wait to see what she wears to the Oscars.

Like I said there were some seriously boring and horrible choices made this year. I have picked five of the worst offenders. I first must make a statement that I have nothing but love for these ladies, I respect them in their fields and this isn't personal - so let the bashing commence.

Tina Fey - Tina wore Antonio Berardi. I don't know what the thinking behind this was. The dress was definitely not designed with her in mind. If I had to start somewhere I would start with the bottom half. A tulip skirt does not suit everyone, especially some one of Tina's proportions. Her legs have disappeared and it has shortened her completely. The skirt needed a lot more structure than what it has, it flops in on it self and it is very unflattering. The top half looks like a cheap quinceañera dress. So many bad points. All of the dresses she wore on stage that night were infinitely better.

Kiera Knightley - Keira wore Chanel. This dress was custom made for her and took 30 people one week to construct. What a waste of time that was. I get that she is pregnant and she won't want to wear a figure hugging dress, but was this the best alternative? The bib and flounces are way too much, they look incredibly dated and I am not talking the 1980's - more like the 1880's. I like the middle section to a certain point, the embellishments are beautiful but the cut is so blah. There is nothing to it, the black band doesn't pull it in or anything - the most beautiful sack I have ever seen.

Lana Del Ray - Lana wore a vintage Travilla dress. I pray that something terrible happened to her first 10 choices before she had to settle for this, that is the only way to justify this dress. It is unbelievably unflattering and quite frankly it looks cheap. I have seen better designs from a failed fashion student. The pleats, the colour, the material - there is nothing right about it. The material in particular is awful, it looks like it will crease with any movement. I would hate to see what the back looked like after sitting down in it for a 2 hour show.

Claire Danes - Claire wore Valentino. I actually like this dress. On the model it looked good, but on Claire I don't get it. I think my major concern is the cut. It looks straight off the rack with no time for a fitting. The top half looks like it is sagging, one quick movement and we say hello to her boob hats. Also for this occasion the dress should scream fun, this one looks a little bit sad. We all know she can rock a simple column dress, maybe she should have kept to what she does best.

Lupita Nyong'o - Lupita wore Giambattista Valli Couture. This dress should have wowed. It is beautifully designed and looks well constructed. When she twirled it did look a lot better - this dress needs movement. In a photo it just looks a tad drab. It sags. One of my biggest complaints is the top. It is way too big and boxy. She has a tiny frame and maybe the designer should have considered this a bit more. One thing I will give Lupita is that she takes risks, and she is young enough to try whatever she wants. She has many a show she will attend in the future and I am sure she will knock it out the park at the Oscars.

So as a favour from me to these beautiful women I did a slight restyle. I am not saying my choices are better but I prefer them.

(excuse the awful photoshopping)

Tina in Neema Khan pre fall 2015

Kiera in Christopher Kane pre fall 2015

Lana in Marchesa pre fall 2015

Claire in Carolina Herrara pre fall 2015

Lupita in Ellie Saab pre fall 2015

10 Ways To Get Over A Crush

After my time on this planet I have learnt a few things. One of them been how to get over a crush. I find it a very good skill to have as I have fallen victim to the crush monster one or two (hundred) times. Some have been major and life consuming, and some have been a bit meh. A crush is a weird thing, its a pain that you don't mind having so much, you suffer but sometimes it is nice to know that you have this emotion. You have the ability to like someone on such a level that you convince yourself that you are ready for a commitment, and you are ready for someone to know every nook and cranny of you. So after all these times and occasions I have formed a short list of things you can do to get over a crush - lets go.

1. Tell your friends your emotions. Sharing is caring in this case. It may be hard to admit this truth because it can be very revealing of you, but I can guarantee that your friend will make you feel better - because they will no doubt tell you how good you are and awful your crush is. Winner.

2. Cry. Let it out and let it go. Crying is a great thing, its like you get to flush everything out in one big go - a colonic for the soul if you will.

3. Go outside. A distraction can do you the world of good. Go do something different and meet different people, you never know you may meet your next crush - or lover if you're lucky.

4. Look at yourself. You aren't a bad person but you can take this time to re-evaluate yourself. Why didn't your crush like you? Time for a bit of tough love. This could do you a lot of good though, improve yourself on the outside and feel better on the inside.

5. Watch a romantic movie. This could sound like torture, but it doesn't have to be. In a lot of romantic films you see a lot of ups and downs in a person's love life - now place yourself in the movie, you are only half way through you're story. Your happy ending hasn't happened yet, but if Julia Roberts/Sandra Bullock/Jennifer Aniston/Reese Witherspoon/Katherine Heigl have taught me anything, it's coming.

6. Listen to sad music. Personally I find depressing music the best type of music, and in times when having to get over crushes it can become a crutch. It is nice to know that someone has been going through the same thing - and they put it to a nice melody and make it rhyme. Plus getting to mime your pain in a mirror whilst imagining you're Taylor Swift never hurt anyone.

7. Find their flaws. This might sound cruel, but for so long you have been focused on their best features. It can be therapeutic to notice the things about them that ain't so pretty.

8. Out of sight, out of mind. If it is too bad a reminder of what you don't have every time you see them, then get away. Step aside, leave the room, get on a bus. It isn't going to do your confidence any good when you have to remind yourself that you don't have what you want.

9. Be aware of a relapse. Getting over a crush can take a long long time, it is hard work and sometimes you may find that you slip. You catch a glimpse and you just melt, they say hello and you want to grab them or their name pops up on your phone and a smile comes across your face that rivals the cheshire cat. This is okay. We aren't perfect.

10. Admit defeat. Maybe they are with someone else or a thousand miles away, it is time for you to move on, wipe the tear off your face, shake your hair in to messy yet stylish style and walk on with the pride of Beyonce. However don't confuse this defeat with failure. The fact that you aren't with the person you want has nothing to do with your own self worth. Some things are beyond your control.

I hope these 10 steps help someone, a crush can be soul destroying and really knock your self confidence - but they don't have to. Letting go and moving on is a process, it won't happen over night and you will relapse - this isn't failure, this is all part of it. So go on and go forth, don't let your crush end you. There is someone out there that will crush on you.

Robin Williams - A Quick Thank You

Two days ago we lost a great man. I don't know how official the cause of his death is but as I believe it was suicide. Many people will struggle with the thought of how someone who appears to have everything could do this to themselves. In our society we view money, fame and face value as been the epitome of happiness. However these things are all fake. These aren't things that make us who we are, these are just things we have or can get. Robin Williams is proof of this. A man that has made millions of people laugh struggled everyday with depression, he made billions at the box office, sold out stand up show after stand up show and without a doubt will forever remind people of the happier moments of their childhood.

So the point of this post is to thank him. Whatever struggles he may have had in his life, it never stopped him. Yes, he had to work like the rest of us to make a living, but he could have done anything. He chose to give himself to the public as an entertainer. And what a hell of an entertainer he was. He made us laugh and cry for all the right reasons, when he wasn't playing a character he was still entertaining us with interviews and appearances. He will go down as one of the greats whether we remember him as an alien called Mork or a Father who dresses as a woman to see his kids and called himself Mrs Doubtfire. We all have a place in our heart for one his characters. Mr Williams was harmless, he never offended anyone publicly. He just beamed happiness and love.

It is absolutely heartbreaking that he wasn't actually happy. He struggled with an illness that is so hard to understand unless you are suffering or around someone suffering. One thing that people need to know is that depression is not a flaw in character, it is a flaw in chemistry. I find it so hard to get my head around the fact that his only choice was to end it all. He didn't see any other way to escape it. I got very emotional at the idea that someone, anyone could think this way.

Once again thank you. Thank you Mr Williams. We are forever in your debt for the years of entertainment, the childhood memories and for creating an escape for us all when we don't want be distracted by real life anymore. I only wish that you are finally at peace. Also even in your last act you are helping people. You have made a taboo subject a part of conversation all around the world. Maybe just maybe because of you, people will seek help and support.

I am gutted that we only have four movies left of his to experience for the first time. However we will always have the memories. Thank you Robin, I sincerely hope you are now at peace.

My Name is Craig and I am obsessed with Photoshop!

Some people enjoy fishing, working on cars or even horse riding, but not me. We all have our hobbies and we shouldn't be judged for them. My greatest time killer of late is Photoshop. I love it. I like to think of myself of as a creative person but stuff like painting, drawing and watercolours don't attract me - there is no undo button. I am not a perfectionist, I just make a lot of mistakes so an undo is a god send. Also its a lot less messy and a lot less materials are needed. 

My favourite things that I like to create are things for promotion. Album covers, advertisements and film posters are my forte. Let me give you a run down of what I have done above.

Fuck Love

Just a little fake movie I created starring Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence and Jennifer Aniston (a trio we all know we want to see). Yeah, its out on Valentines Day, don't read too much in to it.

Little Mix - 3

Little Mix have announced they are writing for their 3rd album. So stealing inspiration from the name of Beyonce's 4th album (4), I called it 3. I also went with a more grown up photo shoot and played around with sizes.

Neon Jungle - Welcome to the Jungle Tour

I tried to keep this one looking cool and effortless just like them. Inspired a little by the 'Braveheart' video with the colouring. 

Craig Magazine

I haven't created a magazine cover since AS Level Media Studies, so I thought I would have another crack at it. Taking a lot of inspiration from Company Magazine. I just love their aesthetic and there isn't anyone rivalling them in their layout and artwork in my opinion.

Olsen Hair Dye

When I created Craig Magazine I wanted to add some authenticity so I created some advertisements. I chose to use the Olsen twins as I have the biggest love for them, I changed their hair colour and added the tag line 'Be Your Own Kind Of Beautiful'. I really like this message as they are twins, but this doesn't mean they have to be the same.

Looking for Alaska
I chose to do this movie poster as it is one of my favourite John Green book's. This is also my dream cast for the film, and if you have read the book then you will agree it works.

Topshop
I created this advertisement for my own little magazine again. I chose quite a simple layout so it is the clothes you look at and not my skills on photoshop.

I have done a lot of work on Photoshop, a lot of it can be seen on the 'My Work' page. Link Here. Also below I will put bigger images of the 7 images above if you want a bigger look.

If you want to see more of work then just look at the images on every post on this blog. I created them all myself aswell.

More Like Him

I may not be the manliest of men, I don’t fit the criteria that is often expected of a penis owner. However I do think I have one thing in common with a large part of the man race - insecurities. We all see every single day a new study, a magazine article, a news bulletin all about female beauty and how society is killing women because they can’t meet these standards - but we never/rarely hear about how society judges a male appearance in the same way. You have probably never seen an article about how we need to see more ‘real’ men on the covers of magazines or in movies, yet you can’t flick through a female magazine without seeing someone mention how real women aren’t represented in media. The latest Dove soap commercials all feature ‘real women’, magazines are celebrated when they put a ‘real woman’ on the cover and female TV stars are applauded when they come out and announce that they love their bodies the way they are.

It isn’t the same for men though. If a man puts on weight then the thought of the nation is that he has just given up on life. Almost every advertisement for a male product is fronted by the ‘ideal man’. He has washboard abs, a jaw that could cut glass and the perfect quaffed hair. Nothing is said about this. The only advertisements that feature slightly chubby men are adverts that are trying to be funny, like beer or pasty advertisements. Even an advert that advertises clothes for the ‘larger’ man feature a sports star who only fits the criteria because he is tall. Men that don’t meet the male beauty standard are always cast as the best friend or the man with unrequited love in film and TV, when they do eventually find love in these shows/films it is applauded because he beat the odds, not because the guy got the girl.

In recent years eating disorders amongst boys and men has sky rocketed, but not much is said about it - instead they will use it as shock statistic when they are doing a piece about eating disorders in a general way. I read somewhere that boys were killing themselves to look like the guys in ‘300’. It’s disturbing that this wasn’t talked about as much. I am not blaming the creators of ‘300’ for perpetrating this myth that men should look like this because in this story these warriors would look like this. It isn’t just that film that shows off men’s bodies this way that was purely just an example of something I found. Almost every leading man in a film or a TV show is a good looking man, a thin/buff man.

I am not going to get out my soap box and demand that all men should be represented, because no doubt someone will come along and push me off it with facts that argue mine. This is just something I have noticed. I don’t want overweight men to become a norm because that would just highlight an unhealthy lifestyle, what I do want is for it to become more freeing for men to get the help they need. When they see these men in media they need to know that it would have taken months of intense training to look this way and a very strict diet, it isn’t something that is achievable for all men. There are so many images out there of these men that all look great, like they never stepped out of a gym, we can’t all live in a gym - some of us would prefer to be at home and putting the dinner on.

This comes from a personal view because I spend too much time obsessing over men that I will never look like. It takes up much more time then it should, sometimes I even get thoughts that I will need to look a certain way to achieve certain things in life, like love or a career - and isn’t that just sad. I should be happy with what I was given but I am not. I see Zac Efron and Harry Styles (not blaming them for anything) and I want to look more like them. I want to be able wear a t shirt and not be pre-occupied with how my boobs will look in it. I want to be able to wear any clothes and feel comfortable enough to go outside in them, I think my family will agree that I dress a lot differently in the house then I do outside.

We are all celebrating the slow changes in media for representation of women, I would just like the same to happen for men. Abs do not equal beauty, the perfect tan does not equal beauty, the perfect hairline does not equal beauty. Men come in all shapes and sizes and as we age our shapes and sizes all change. I would like to see a wider range of healthy men to be represented in media, we need the pressure taken off us just like our female counterparts.

'Skinny guys are seen as weak. Bald guys are emasculated and impotent. And so it goes, men chase the unattainable standard of beauty portrayed in the media as well. We spend billions of dollars with the hope that we will be desirable and accepted by society, only to find out it’s never good enough.’ - V Pauni

Dolly

Dolly is definitely the woman of the moment right now, she is on the front cover of every paper in England, she just stormed the stage at Glastonbury and became the most talk about act of the weekend, just released a new 32 track album and announced a world tour. And can we please remember that she is 68 years old! Dolly is truly a living legend that deserves all the respect in the world. From humble beginnings living in the mountains of Tennessee she has gone on to have 41 top 10 albums and 110 singles that all charted. She has starred in 12 movies and countless TV programmes. She has won 7 Grammys and been nominated for a further 45 (currently the record amount by a female artist - level pegging with Beyonce).  Dolly is the Queen of Country and below I will list some Dolly facts that you may or not know, but you surely will love her for.

1. Dolly was only 7 when she wrote her first song and was appearing on radio from the age of 9. Her first record ‘Puppy Love’ was recorded when she was just 13 years old.

2. She has been married to her husband (Carl Thomas Dean) for over 50 years.

3. Dolly once entered a Dolly Parton look-a-like competition. She came second - to a man.

4. Dolly has her own theme park - Dollywood. She refuses to ride the roller coasters though as she is deathly afraid. 

5. She is Miley Cyrus' God Mother.

6. She supports gay marriage. On gay marriage, Parton said, “I always say, ‘Sure — why can’t they get married? They should suffer like the rest of us do!’”

7. She refused to sell Elvis Presley the publishing rights to her hit ‘I Will Always Love You.’ Elvis’ manager called Parton the day before the recording session and told her that he and Presley wouldn’t record any songs that they didn’t have at least half of the publishing rights to. “It had nothing to do with Elvis, because hopefully he was disappointed too, but I just wouldn’t let him have the publishing,” said Parton.

8. Famously said of her distinctive appearance: "It takes a lot of money to make a person look this cheap."

9. She has donated 45 million+ books to her own child literacy organisation.

10. Reportedly written over 5000 songs.

I love Dolly and I know everyone has a special place for her in their hearts; and who doesn't know the words to 'I Will Always Love You' or '9 to 5'?! She never seems to stop; she either has a movie, a CD, a tour or an appearance somewhere. Long live Dolly Parton.

“I tried every diet in the book. I tried some that weren't in the book. I tried eating the book. It tasted better than most of the diets.” 

― Dolly Parton

“I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb - and I'm not blonde either.” 

― Dolly Parton

“People always ask me how long it takes to do my hair. I don’t know, I’m never there.” 

― Dolly Parton

“I was the first woman to burn my bra - it took the fire department four days to put it out.” 

― Dolly Parton

“Figure out who you are. Then do it on purpose.” 

― Dolly Parton

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?

All Together Now

I have a very strong belief that I stand by through think and thin - every song in the entire catalogue of music can be improved by adding a choir. Jesus, I love a choir. There is just something about a large group of people singing in unison that gets me, I get chills. The power that radiates and the emotion that builds is like nothing else. Of course choirs are most famous for singing religious songs, I however am not religious - but I will listen to them for hours if I could. Imagine my delight when choirs are featured in films, even more so when it involves a choir competition! So, as I do, I have wrote a short list of some of my favourite choir moments from film. Sit back, enjoy and rejoice in the magic of the choir.

Sister Act 2 - Joyful Joyful

This may have been my first foray into my love of choir music. I was in a choir during Primary School and a little bit of High School but we never did this. Lauryn Hill is everything! Plus its worth a watch just for the amazing 90's fashion.

Joyful Noise - Take Me Higher

I will hold my hands up, I haven't watched this movie. However I did YouTube all the performances because my love for Dolly Parton has no boundaries. Love the fact they have taken Chris Brown songs and made them gospel. Dolly breaking into 'Forever' knocked me metaphorically off my seat.

Fighting Temptations - He Still Loves Me

This whole song and arrangement is just beautiful. It doesn't throw the message down your throat and it doesn't do anything crazy - a nice song to sway to, with one hand in the air with your eyes closed. Plus it has Beyonce - enough said.

Pitch Perfect - Bella's Finale Song

What an amazing movie this is, it has everything I require. A choir competition, sarcasm and touching moments - turn it into a horror of some sorts and it could be a perfect film. I love all the performances but it has to be the finale that knocks the ball out of the park. Who knew Anna Kendrick had such an amazing voice - they should have let her sing in Twilight.

Romeo and Juliet - Everybody's Free

In a film filled to the brim with amazing moments, this one stuck out to me. This boy's voice is so magical, it leaves me gobsmacked. Every time I watch this scene it strikes me and leaves me speechless. If you don't want to watch the entire film skip to 53 minutes to witness the beauty. 

Notable Mentions

Sister Act 2 - Oh Happy Days

Pitch Perfect - Riff Off

A Walk to Remember - Choir Scene

Joyful Noise - Man in the Mirror

The Colour Purple - God is Trying to Tell You Something

Across The Universe - Let It Be

What am I doing?

My blog is called 'What Craig Did', and yet I rarely mention what I am doing right now. Probably because I don't have a whole lot going on. Sadly I don't do much at all. I have become that person I never wanted to be - I have a full time job! And even worse I have become one of those people that automatically wakes up at 6am on the weekend because I am used to it in the week (don't get me wrong - I quickly roll over and go back to sleep when I realise). This blog post is going to be all about me - my favourite subject. As always I have made a list of things so lets get underway.

Job

I am currently working as a Visual Merchandiser for a major British department store chain. Basically the job requires me to make the store look pretty. I dress the mannequins, create the displays, hang the wall posters, set up all advertising and all general upkeep. I am liking the job, it is definitely a lot more physical than I am used to, fingers crossed for some upper arm muscles out of this. Having religiously never lifted anything heavier than 5lbs in my entire life it has been a struggle. 

Home Life

Home life is good. I may be a bit behind my peers. I moved back home a couple of years ago now, it just made sense. Whilst I get on my feet and find my path I don't want to have to worry about bills and been alone all the time. My parents and sister are amazing, it feels like more like roommates than the house having any type of hierarchy. It works for us as we are four very individual, opinionated people. I will be looking to move on within the next year or so but I am happy where I am right now.

Friends

I have an amazing group of friends. As time goes by some friendships diminish and some grow. I am lucky as I always have someone I can go to. I do wish I could hang out with some of them more than what I do, but I understand that sometimes life doesn't allow for that. I won't name a certain friend but I want to thank them individually - they allow me to say whatever drivel pops in to my head, they talk to me all the time, I feel like they get me on a bigger level than most and I never feel judgement from them - so thank you.

Love Life

Not applicable. Nothing new to write. Seems singledom is a way of life for me. 

Plans

I don't have a lot of plans as of now, I just got my first full time job so that is taking a lot of time up in my life. However I am going to do something soon, quite scary for someone like me - I am going to go to another country alone. I haven't decided which one yet, I have limited it down to Europe. France seems to be the front runner right now. It won't be for long, maybe even just for a week, but it has been something I have been thinking about for a while now and I am in a good enough place where I can do it, Mainly I want to see how I cope, I am very used to my own company so that won't be an issue and another major reason is that I don't know if anybody will be free or willing to go with me.

Emotions

I have been a mix of emotions lately. My life has completely changed in the last few months. I have always been in education and now it suddenly stopped. I feel more responsible for my life than I have ever before. Every choice from here on out means something. I have my down times sometimes, frustration with myself, disappointment with myself - always feel like I should be doing more than what I am doing. However, with the down times I do get happy times aswell, I am forever grateful for what I do have. Mostly I am scared if I am completely honest, I don't know whats happening a lot of the time.

Interests

Nothing really new to report here, if there is one thing I do talk about a lot on here it is my interests. TV shows I am currently watching are The Big Bang Theory, Parks and Recreation, Inkmaster, Scandal, Veep and I have become obsessed with Big Brother Canada. My days Big Brother Canada and US have a completely different set up than we do over in Blighty - and it is insanely better, research it and you will see what I mean.

Music I am currently listening to a lot is a mix as always. I am re-listening to Miranda Lambert's 'Four The Record' a lot and starting to love the songs I never gave a chance to before. Favourite song right now is probably 'Look at Miss Ohio'. Also really liking Iggy Azalea's new album, Christina Perri's new album and American Author's new album. I try to listen to a lot of new music, mainly recommended to me by my friend who always has a list of new stuff I might like.

When it comes to movies I keep finding myself trying to seek out slasher horror's I haven't seen yet. Watching a lot of badly made sequels, and some good ones sometimes. Really want to dedicate more time and money to my DVD collection.

So I think that is us all caught up now. I will be honest I am struggling to come up with ideas for this blog. I have posted 118 times and it is hard to keep my ideas fresh, so any thoughts or links would be amazing. Peace.

Craig's Movie Club - A Trilogy

Roll up, roll up and gather round and take a look at this; I've only gone and watched some more films! And of course I want to impart my knowledge on any folk that may read this. Once again there were some hits and misses, some that thrilled and some that left me comatose. So lets get underway as I have some insight into 5 films that I bet you are dying to know. Once again - spoiler alert.

300: Rise of an Empire
I loved '300' I really did. It was violent, bloody and featured 300 buff, half naked gentlemen (sounds like a great night in). When I heard there was to be a sequel I was a tad excited. Except this isn't a sequel, or it kind of is - stay with me. It runs along side the original whilst also telling us what happened before and after. One thing you can not take away from the creators of the these films is just how god damn beautiful they are. Every shot has something to make your eyes widen in appreciation. Every square centimetre of the screen has been thought out and it is awe inspiring.
One of the many things I like in my films is a kick ass female. This film has two so you can understand my love for the film. My love for Lena Headey goes past Game of Thrones and The Purge - I think she is gorgeous and has an air of perfection about her. She doesn't disappoint in this film reprising her role of Queen Gorgo Then step forward Eva Green, an actress that doesn't really appear in a lot of stuff I watch, as Artemisia. A woman with vengeance on her mind and the skills to pull it off. I can't celebrate this film more, I thought it was great, beautifully shot, the special effects weren't in overkill and the actors were all stunning and talented.

12 Years a Slave 
I wasn't too sure about seeing this film for a few reasons. I knew it was an important film to see, it told a story that needed to be told and it gave an audience to a topic often held in a state of taboo. Back in the day times were awful and sometimes we don't always want to be reminded what our ancestors did, it can be shameful and uncomfortable. However I went and watched the film. It was beautifully made, the acting was top notch and I came away with an education. Some scenes were incredibly hard to watch, and thats a good thing. Two scenes that stick out to me is Chiwetel Ejiofor's character been hung and Lupita Nyong'o's character been whipped. Some could argue that these scenes were too long, we got the point now lets move on, but I applaud the director - he gave truth to a situation that is often cast off as something that 'just happened then'. I can't speak for everyone but whilst I was watching it I was incredibly uncomfortable and I was asking in my head for it to be over - I am glad they were that long though, it was necessary.
You can't talk about this film and not mention Lupita Nyong'o. She plays a young woman slave called Patsy. She is abused, used and understandably a very unhappy character. Lupita played her phenomenally. Sometimes in my head I blur fantasy and reality, she did this aswell. It was so well done that I felt like I was watching something real. The scene where she is found sneaking soap was so real and so cutting. Lupita deserved every award she received.

The Grand Budapest Hotel
It is rare these days to find a director with a recognisable style, a director that sticks to an aesthetic and brings the stories in to his world. Wes Anderson is leading the pack when it comes to this. The bright and often plain sets, mixed with very flamboyant costumes and his attention to detail make for a style all of his own. This film does take some thought; its a story within a story within a story. However, don't let this put you off. It is a great story and it had me laughing all the way through.
Ralph Fiennes really carries this film, he should be celebrated for it. He was fantastic as M. Gustave, a hotel concierge who goes above and beyond his duties who finds himself at the centre of a murder. This film is chock full of recognisable actors from Tilda Swinton to Edward Norton. Its also made a star of the young actor Tony Revolori as Zero, he was fantastic in this film with his dry acting style. Wes Anderson's films are always great, but this is probably one of my favourites.

Dallas Buyers Club
I wasn't aware of this story before I saw the film, so it was great that it was finally bought to the masses. It tells the story of a young gentleman who finds out he has AIDs. The medication he needs is not available to him so he sets up a business to buy the drugs from around the world, and he deals them to other sufferers of this terrible illness. This film got a lot of attention from many award shows - and each was deserved. The story is both sad and inspiring.
The performances in this film were second to none. For me Jared Leto was the star, he played a transgender woman called Rayon. He lost a lot of weight for the role which highlighted the stress and struggle this illness can take on the body. His final scene had me in tears, I didn't see the frontman of '30 Seconds to Mars', I saw a woman struggling with an illness that eventually was the end of her. We can't ignore the amazing work of Matthew McConaughey as the lead character, a very well deserved award for Best Actor at the Oscars. He is, like Leto, completely unrecognisable in this role. I don't normally rate much of his work, he has a very distinct style which works for what he normally does, but he blew me away in this role - I tip my feathered hat to you sir.

Her
This film did not get the attention it deserved, it was lost amongst a lot of films this year that had more of a social impact. Ironically in future decades I feel this film could have been a warning for what we are about to become. The bones of this movie is that it follows a man, who just came out of a serious relationship, and falls in love with the operating system of his home computer and phone. The operating system is basically Siri with a personality, and dangerously in this film -  a personality designed to each and every customer personally.
This film is almost foreshadowing what could easily happen and I am sure it may almost has in an extremely small quantity of people. As we become more reliant on technology we will no doubt start to develop feelings for them, give them a personality and it becomes a great alternative to human interaction. In this film we see the start, middle and end to the relationship between Theodore and his operating system Samantha. Its a a great story with a great cast, and I highly recommend it, just don't go in with a pre-conception of this man being a lonely loser. He isn't, he is our future.

Coming Of Age

One of the best genre of films in my opinion has to be the 'Coming Of Age' genre. These movies are generally centred around teenagers and young adults. They don't have the best time of it and struggle with a lot of different things, but through out it all they become better people and become more adjusted to the way people expect them to be. Funny thing for me is that I don't think I have lived a very note worthy life yet I find myself identifying with a lot that happens. I may have not done a lot of things these characters have done, but there is something there that makes me feel a bit awkward and makes me realise somethings that I didn't want to. I'll write some examples of this (really trying to open up like I promised in my '100' post haha).

Perks of Being a Wallflower - Charlie falls in love with his best friend.
Yep, been there, done that and got the goddamn heartache to prove it. Don't worry about me though, I accepted it. Charlie was shown a friendship he never felt he would experience again after the untimely death of his best friend, he fell for Sam and all the kindness she showed him. This book means a lot to me as it gave me something that I never felt a book could. The film is amazing. In my experience I fell for a friend aswell, I responded to their personality in a big way and it didn't hurt a damn bit that they are unbelievably attractive. We are great friends now and I wish nothing but the best for them. I know they read this so I won't share too much and ruin what we have.

It's Kind of a Funny Story - Craig's life gets too much
We all have those periods in our lives when life just feels like its too much. The only difference between me and Craig is that I never contemplated suicide. It wasn't an option for me. Craig is highly depressive and life is proving to be a struggle with all the pressures of being a teenager. I know from experience that teenage life sucks the big one. You are too old to make mistakes and too young to be accepted. You have to make major life decisions. It can sometimes feel too much to handle and the truth is is that it is. When I was 16 I had no idea what I wanted to do, now I am 25 and I still don't know what I want to do.

Kings of Summer - The boys want to escape their lives
Along the similar lines of Craig in 'It's Kind of a Funny Story' except they decided to make a change before it becomes to much. I recently made a decision to quit something, it was a hard decision but deep down I do think I am happier now. I had a moment of realisation that I was now free of something that I no longer wanted. Like the boys, people look at me and think I am stupid for what I did, but just like them I don't care either. This is my life to screw up not theirs. And no offence to anyone I know but I don't see anyone in a place to judge what I do.

Pretty In Pink - Duckie has to be happy for Andie even though he is in love with her
This has to be one of the hardest things to do. When you are in love with someone who doesn't love you back, yet you are their friend. He has to accept he can't be with her and he has to watch her with someone else. Yep, in my sad little life I have experienced it. You think that you are the best person for them and you don't understand why they can't see it. So instead you take a back seat and you remain their friend because that is the right thing to do. You are happy for them when they are with someone else, because at the end of the day you want them to be happy even if it isn't with you.

Some noteworthy Coming of Age Movies you need to see

Perks of Being a Wallflower

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Kings of Summer

Pretty in Pink

The Way Way Back

Juno

The Spectacular Now

The Breakfast Club

My Girl

Sixteen Candles

The Virgin Suicides

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Clueless

Mean Girls

Say Anything

Superbad

Easy A

The First Time

Almost Famous

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.