Getting my head in the game
Monday, 11 January 2010
Armed with smoothies and boxes of green tea, I can't help but feeling a lot like Bridget Jones at this time of year, the bit where she turns over a new leaf post-Hugh Grant phase, and buys a gym membership and starts a diet of air and dust... well maybe I'm not taking the January detox quite that far, but I have noticed a definite air of 'new leaves' about the place. My plans for this year are much the same as past years; be more organised (I received not one but TWO diaries for Christmas); eat more healthily (the fridge is stocked with vegetables and the fruit bowl is full to the brim); be better with money (student loan has just gone in, and I'm not going to even walk past Topshop for fear of temptation). So far, so good. But only time will tell.
In head adornment news, the headband craze has caught my attention recently, and has made me very happy. Here are some reasons why...
There are pretty much no rules to this new trend: oversized flowers, gold ribbon, leather embossed leaves, plaited material... the list goes on. And of course, my favourite pop pixie, Natasha Kahn of Bat for Lashes almost lives in the things, so they must be good.
Sherlock Holmes
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Token stereotypical cockney meat heads; a detailed grimy slow-mo fight scene; fast-paced, smooth edits; a definitively British sense of humour, minute attention to detail in the cinematography. All things one would expect from a Guy Ritchie movie; all things one is presented with in his latest offering: Sherlock Holmes.
If this is a sign of things to come in the film world in this fresh decade, then I will happily partake in its hearty consumption. I feel I often sway one way or another when reviewing films, they are either the very best thing since the common loaf was first sliced, or the lowest-of-the-low-never-to-be-seen-again type job. But this really is a good film. Robert Downey Jr. plays a delightfully flamboyant pipe-wielding Holmes, and gels incredibly naturally with his Watson, Jude Law. The crime fighting pair humour their audience with a quick wit and a constant charming sparkle in their eyes, one which maintains character interest right up until the adrenaline packed finale where one wills both men to succeed in their plight.
Rachel McAdams, of Mean Girls fame, steps back in time for another period drama role, and handles it surprisingly well; her devious femme fatal character proving to endear and captivate the majority of the male audience, and her glamorous Victorian wardrobe enthralling the female half.
The plot has enough twists and turns to remain true to Conan Doyle's cleverly intricate detective novels, and translates into the realm of film remarkably well, undoubtedly partly akin to Hans Zimmer's genius in creating yet another perfect score to create a beautifully authentic soundtrack for the time. My favourite scene, trying to avoid revealing anything vital to the plot, is when a large explosion occurs and two of the main characters are sent flailing through the air in slow motion with only the sound of a solitary violin moaning dramatically over the picture to accompany their disastrous state of affairs. I can usually pinpoint the part in most great films I see, where I think, yes, this is good. And that did it for me.
This movie has single-handedly restored my faith in British film-making, and reminded me that I would quite like to go and be a Victorian femme fatal, if only for the damn sexy dresses they get to wear. Bad ass.
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