EAT, PRAY, LOVE.

''Eat, Pray,Love'' is a story of pain through divorce. 

Liz Gilbert played by Julia Roberts is a writer enduring a sticky divorce with a husband who is confused about his goals in life. With a fancy house and what seems to be a loving marriage, Liz doesn't seem content in her non existent happiness. She prays to god on her bathroom floor to give her a ultimatum and she gets one. Her decision to divorce, throws her husband who assumed their eight year marriage was indeed perfect. His desperate plea for one thing  to keep Liz only during the divorce settlement, was heartbreaking if not slightly sweet.
And so her life begins as she meets and falls for  David (James Franco), in New York . He plays a young and terrible actor who meditates to keep sane. Their screwed up short relationship gives Liz the ammunition she needs to change her life.

So she leaves to Italy to eat for four months, devouring every pizza, plate of pasta and cups of wine she missed for so long. She also learns Italian with a teacher and gains a familiar group of many close friends. 
Still recovering from her divorce, she then retreats to India to meditate and come to terms with her life and stress and mostly to pray. Along the way she meets some inspirational characters who help her just as much as she assists them in their problems spiritually. 

She then returns to Bali to speak to a medicine man who forsees the future. He has many surprises for her and she enjoys the wonders of this island. She finds something unexpected in Bali which she may keep for life.

A beautifully poignant movie by one of my favourite actresses. It relinquishes how much problems can affect one's life and sometimes all you can do is leave and take a break in order to mend. 

Creep By Jennifer Hillier

A masters student, the gorgeous Ethan Wolfe, seduces his professor Sheila Tao. They continue a rockin affair and just as she ends it, their relationship turns sour when he pursues to kill the woman he loves. Creep is the correct word which lingers in the air, as the turn of events in this novel will be etched in your mind for days. 
With an addiction to physical love, Sheila struggles to let go of her lover, but also to tell the truth to her soon to be husband Morris. A successful man who banished his drinking addiction with the help of his fiancée , Morris finds it hard to deal with Sheila's affair and past life. A twisted few weeks later, Sheila's marriage and life are both in trouble as she is locked away by Ethan to pay for her ways. A hunt for Sheila begins and all the clues of this tale begin to add up.

Sheila Tao?

A exciting novel which uses a psychological approach to explanations of human behaviour. Creep (Little Brown) delves into how one's past highly affects their future and the scarring events in childhood which adults may never forget. A first novel by Canadian writer Jennifer Hillier, this story chronicles the shame of Sheila's secrets which have the potential to ruin her life. An error in judgement and a psycho later, she is in serious trouble as her fiancée reports her missing.           

Hillier's description of Ethan Wolfe, brings to mind a beautiful psychopath. A smart and claustrophobic obsessive individual, on a selfless pursuit of destruction.  Ultimately, there are many twists which Hillier cleverly presents in disguise which will have you gasping in shock. An excellent exciting new talent I can't wait to read more from. 

Ethan Wolfe?

Here is Radio-head's "Creep" which will make more sense to you soon...

The Help

Based on bestselling novel by Kathryn Stockett and starring Emma Stone, this comedy/drama begins along the basis of a topic we know too well... Racism. 
Living during the reign of the KKK in their town, the tenants of Jacksonville happily hire black maids to clean ,cook and raise their children whilst treating them badly throughout. Through no fault of their own, these maids work hard to earn a living, never being rewarded for their kindness and patience. 
Though at times harshly racist, the film uses Miss Hilly's character to represent racism in it's softest form. A pretty, popular woman with a rich husband, dream home and family is belittled by her stinky attitude toward her black maid Minnie. Miss Hillys suggestions to her friends to get separate toilets for the "negroes" who carry diseases, begins many a problem for the folk of Jacksonville. 

Miss Hilly

Emma Stone plays "Skeeter" a curly haired budding writer on a quest for a career unlike her friends who go fishing for husbands. Her mother and friends dissapointment of her lifestyle alongside her kind treatment of the maids is shocking to her peers, which is why she uses her writing skills to investigate theses women and their evil antics toward the help.
 There are many heartbreaking moments in this film, some shocking you, some making you turn away and others making you want to cry. Miscarriages, broken relationships, old age and the shattering of friendships alongside the reality of racism in the past may shock you. 

Emma Stone playing "Skeeter"

But if anything, there are many, many hilarious moments which you won't believe are able to appear in a storyline with such depth. 
A lengthy yet worthwhile depiction of distinction and proof, that we are all people, no matter what colour or creed. 

With A Cherry On The Top

   

I recently met Cherry Healey, a mother and creator of documetaries lately showing on BBC Three.

She engages with the audience superbly as she allowed us to follow her wedding, childbirth and  recent motherhood with her daughter Coco.  

Aside from personal voyages, Cherry faces some of our worst fears and exposes them from every angle. She explores parenting issues and follows the story of a ruthless, disobedient teenager whose mother constantly worries, compared to a mother who controls every aspect of her daughters life academic and extra curricular. 

Cherry then focused on body image, a taboo topic we often fear on a daily basis surrounding the idea of what is beautiful? 

Cherry gets a make-over

As it turns out, it really depends on many factors.Of course we all see beauty differently, but Cherry is in shock as she scrolls through her old diaries and reads her teen thoughts on her own body image. Her shock continues as she hears from younger girls who hate everything about their bodies and looks, and see beauty through orange tan and overload of make-up. 

Focusing on differing topics each episode, Cherry's Cash Dilemmas delves into ones spending habits whereby Cherry lives the two extremes of living with no money and having too much. She searches through dustbins outside restaurants and food shops for free dinner compared to spending without checking the labels and trying to find a balance. 

She is now at times compared to Dawn Porter which I personally do not understand because of Cherry's different stance on certain issues. 

An exciting new talent which I'm looking forward to seeing more of. 

I wonder what's next?

Sharing Is Caring.. A Poem I Found Through The Grapevine

“I remember when I owned everything

The sun and the moon and the rain, my domain.
Stretched and yawned along the astral plane

The universe is a toy in the mind of a boy.
And life is a movie too, starring you.
Your whole family’s the cast and crew.
That’s a little secret between God and you.

But ain’t it strange how it all makes perfect sense?
Once your life becomes evidence of the need to feel
Love is more than Real.

Because your mother’s love might seem insane,
That’s ‘cause she really knows everything.
Too bad it takes so long to see what you’ve been missing…

(Love like that can’t be measured anyway)
Too bad it takes so long to see what you’ve been missing
(Love like that can’t be measured anyway)
Too bad it takes so long to see what you’ve been missing
Too bad it takes so long to see
Too bad it takes so long…

‘Cause the Real is a construct
It’s the raw nerve’s private zone
It’s a personal sunset that you drive off into alone.”

Classic Animation

"The Lion King" 3D will be returning to our screens soon, along with Rafiki's laugh, the creepy Hyenas of Pride Rock as well as Mufasa and Scar's brotherly battles on the African planes.

 Battles of power and exile beside exhibitions of love, makes this story a classic family tale. It's popularity has outweighed and exceeded primary expectations resulting in a re release seventeen years after it's release in 1994. 

It's success has led to DVD best-seller in rank of sales and the award winning London theatre production which remakes the story perfectly with an astounding precise nature.

Though many other Disney classics have been re released, here are some other examples of animations which are still personal favourites to this day.

The tale of "Thumbelina" (1994) is a heartfelt one following the orphaned little girl who is literally tiny. Her longing to see the world beyond her mothers farm is answered but not quite in the way she had envisioned, as she is stolen from her bed by a toad. Her beauty attracts many creatures in the forest as she makes a tiring trip through different seasons in an attempt to go home. However, her quest is slowed down as she falls in love with a prince, who cannot seem to find her either. This is a beautiful story which will have you watching again and again. 

Anastasia(1997) narrates the story of a young princess who escapes from her home at a young age due to a battle in her family's castle. Her reunion with her family is long overdue, but masked identities and a complicated family past against a evil character named Rasputin, gives the film that action element.

Mulan (1998), a tale of a woman's strength as she joins the army to honour her family in China. Since women were not allowed to join, she has to disguise herself as a man whilst fulfilling all of her duties as a daughter. A riveting storyline with an excellent cast including Eddie Murphy. 

Irreplaceable Beyonce

Following her great success with Destiny's Child in the past and Glastonbury this year, Beyoncé's solo career has never been so promising. Now married to the most popular rapper in the game, Queen B has dropped her fourth album at the critics, naming it "4" whilst rejoicing in her achievement as a solo superstar. 
This time round,  a grown Beyoncé's Bday is no longer the topic of discussion. Rather, female solidarity is celebrated with her first single, which claims world domination. A world run by girls is staged in the video as the women attack with: 

"Who are we? What do we run? We run the world!"

She then displayed her simple yet modest math skills in 1 +1 the next single, where B reveals her dismissal of material things, should the world end, whereby her beloved would be the hopeful plus one.

"I don't know much about algebra, but I know one plus one equals two."

"Best Thing I Never Had" reveals a relief in leaving a past relationship as she reminisces on a time when there were "no lies, no wrong" but she quickly thanks God he blew it. The video presents Beyoncé marrying a man who she far from regrets, rather compares to her ex, realising her new partners better qualities. She parades around, thankful for her better judgement. 

"Thank God you blew it! Thank God I dodged a bullet."

The next single "Party" featuring Andre 3000 and Kanye West, rewinds to the sound of the 80's where Beyoncé uses overlapping harmonies permitting it to almost pass as old. She defends her love to party with a lover, who she wants to flaunt in front of her friends, even though shy, as she narrates from the point of view of a teenage girl. 

Tracks such as "End of Time" and "Countdown" pass for dance numbers with the usual Beyonce bootyshaking essence, whereas "I Care" and "Start Over" deal with wrecked relationships accompanied by electric guitar, disclosing an angry and distraught Beyoncé
 as she sings 

"I told you how you hurt me baby, but you don't care. 

Now I'm crying and deserted baby, but you don't care." 

More personal songs include "I miss you" written by Frank Ocean, "Rather Die Young" and "Love on Top" another 80's inspired track. 

Beyonce reveals her pregnancy on the 2011 VMA's
Whilst performing "Love on Top" on this years VMA's, our girl B proudly revealed a baby bump which was well overdue. The audience and fans roared, but were nowhere as excited as friend Kanye West, jumping in excitement congratulating husband
Jay-Z whilst the rapper saluted his pregnant wife.  

A vital track on the album named "I Was Here" is a not so subtle goodbye from the superstar who may have already wanted a pause in her career due to plans to start a family.  She states:
" I just want them to know
That I gave my all, did my best
Brought someone to happiness..."

That she did,and so here she is, at her best. Until next time...