Blog Lovin

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3931245/?claim=nmqfhwekeuy">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Ted

I have never been a fan of Family Guy, American Dad, or any other 'comedy' which is remotely similar. However, when I saw the trailer for Ted, a film by the same director, I somehow lost all inhibitions and consequently, made my way to my local cinema.

So what was it that caused me to fall for a trailer which boasted an angry, foul-mouthed teddy bear?

Ted follows the story of a young boy who has no friends and wishes that his teddy bear would come to life. A few years on and we meet a grown up Mark Wahlberg who's best friend at 35 is still teddy bear who has grown up with and developed the same bad habits as him.
Willing for her non-committed, pot smoking, couch-potato boyfriend (Wahlberg) to grow up and move on from Ted, Lori (Mila Kunis) tries to separate the pair, with devastating consequences.

In my opinion, this storyline really did have what it takes to compete for a pretty good run at the box office. However, it clearly didn't go to plan as Ted turned out to be basically family guy, without Peter Griffin, although it is the same voice.

Although this doesn't mean the film was a complete let-down, it did really hinder my enjoyment, as the structure was just not that of a successful film, but that of a sit-com or a comedy sketch, with disjointed sections, a lack of flow and random scene changes that left me quite uninterested in the film and more interested in eating the popcorn.

In terms of the acting in the film, Wahlberg puts on an unconvincing Boston accent but performs well in his role as Ted's best friend, giving the film no excuse to create what could have been a brilliant storyline. However, with the dysfunctional, inconsistent plot, Wahlberg gets lost along the way and we learn that even the best of actors can't respond to Seth MacFarlane's techniques.

Mila Kunis perfomed well as the leading female within the film, however, she did appear to lack in her usual charm which has been obvious in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Friends with Benefits.

The character of Ted was by all means hilarious, but the script seemed to let such a great idea for a cartoon character down. I was all for the foul-mouthed teddy bear, but is it just me who thinks that this film takes this character a bit too far? I would refer to his character as humourous  - but in the worst possible taste.

I would like to say it's not all doom and gloom, as the character of Ted was often funny, witty and sarcastic. Some scenes were laugh out loud hilarious, however this was ruined by the crude and often racist jokes which followed.

Ted is however challenging to become the biggest 'R-Rated' comedy of all time, and as of August 5th, Ted has earned $280,714,000.

However, the trailer is misleading, making it, in my opinion, look ten times better than the film you are actually presented with after you've paid £10 each to see it.

What could have been a visual masterpiece, as shown by its brilliantly deceiving trailer remains just another typical MacFarlane special, but with a lack of planning and only a few good jokes in sight.

This does not mean that the film wasn't somewhat enjoyable, though. The scene with the white-trash names and unforgettably, the thunder buddies scene had everyone roaring with laughter. Scenes like these could go down in history, but I don't think the rest of the film, nor it's plot as a whole, is anywhere near on par.

Although the film isn't without belly laughs, there is definitely something lacking. The hit-and-miss jokes fail to keep our attention, leaving us furiously searching for something to laugh at.

Such an ingenious idea deserves far better direction and production, because only then will its intelligence and brilliance be positively perceived. Ted doesn't really work as a film, but seems like three episodes of a sit-com, unsuccessfully strung together.


Seth MacFarlane's live-action effort is nothing more than a sleezy, offensive excuse for a blockbuster and really does just miss out on being a true classic.

Olympic Games - a temporary prop for unemployment figures?

The total of people classed as unemployed in the UK has recently taken a drastic fall from 65,000 to just 2.58 million in the three months to May according to the Office for National Statistics.


This would make employment at its highest in four years, and unemployment at its first decrease since spring 2011. 

The cause of this is suggested to be the 2012 Olympic Games, as the biggest increase in work is reported to be in London. 


This change in statistics has been hailed by ministers as "a step in the right direction", but  the short-term hiring for the Olympics could simply be masking the economy's underlying weaknesses. 


According to figures from The Office of National Statistics, long-term unemployment has actually risen, with the number of people out of work for over a year jumping by 26,000 to 883,000, the worst total since 1996.


The figures also showed an 89,000 rise in the number of people working part-time because they could not find full-time jobs, to a total of 1.4 million, the highest figure since records began in 1992.


Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said: "The Olympic effect may give the impression of recovery, but it is a mirage. The number of the long-term unemployed is still rising, and huge numbers of women and young people are still struggling to find work."

The Five-Year Engagement Review

It was released in cinemas on 22nd June, but it feels as if I have been waiting a lifetime to see The Five Year Engagement starring Emily Blunt and Jason Segel. 

In my opinion, the likelihood of the film being exceptional is when the trailer has you in stitches, and the trailer for this was definitely one of those.


The trailer presented us with a slapstick version of a film we know all to well, boy meets girl and they fall in love, blah, blah, blah. But this film really does flip that notion on its head, and stomp on it. Not only does the film begin rather than end with a proposal, it successfully represents a realistic, down-to-earth couple who have to cope with the obstacles that we all encounter on a day to day basis.

Tom (Segel) and Violet (Blunt) are the perfect couple, right for each other in every way. On New Years Eve, exactly a year after they met, Tom proposes, and the couple are set for a fairytale ending. However, when jobs and academia start getting in the way, things start to go downhill and the couple end up having to decide if they really are as suited as they thought.

My concern, though, was that the three-minute trailer may have given away ever funny moment the film has to offer. This was not the case. The rom-com showcased a beautiful array of laugh-out-loud funny scenes that really did make it a film to remember.

Having been a fan of Jason Segel in previous comedies such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and I Love You, Man, I was expecting the usual from him. When talking about Mr Segel, I refer to him as 'The Katherine Heigl type' as no matter what film they star in, they always manage to get away with playing the exact same character. This film was no exception. He remained the same character that he played in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but this time, he was a little less um..... naked. This doesn't mean that the mono-character he plays is a bad one, however, as his acting remained the same, if not better than ever before, as we saw him in a serious relationship with Emily Blunt who was a breath of fresh air, as always.

When a film poster presents us with "From the Producer of..." I don't know about you but unless it says something really fantastic, I usually don't even bat an eyelid. So when I saw Bridesmaids in bold pink letters, I was on YouTube, immediately searching for the trailer. I don't usually fall for this kind of subliminal 'see this film' messaging, but when I see the word Bridesmaids, my eyes light up. Of course, by putting that word there, they need to somewhat fulfill their promise, by offering us a jaw-aching comedy - and boy, they did just that.

While I wouldn't say it was neither as good nor funny as Bridesmaids or film of the year (in my eyes) Friends with Benefits, Five Year Engagement did offer us exactly what it said on the packaging, and more.

Consistently funny, sometimes crazy and never boring, this film is definitely worth a watch, or two...

8/10

Facebook

Take a look at and like my Facebook page, where I will be uploading my latest articles! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Boagey/257287207689565

Graduation hesitation

The big day is approaching, the one that students all around the country are looking forward to... or in my case, dreading. This day is Graduation, and mine is worryingly soon.
I know what you're going to say, it's silly to worry about graduation - after all, what is there to possibly to worry about? Well, let me tell you...
When I realised the 18th July was soon approaching, my mother and I went for a well deserved shop and I found myself in the shop I would never have expected to find my graduation shoes in. I was planning on purchasing them from Office, Dune or perhaps Kurt Geiger, (if I miraculously won the lottery) however my mum took me into Next - my new found favourite shop for shoes. Their shoe display attracted me like a child to candyfloss and I managed to pick myself up a shoetastic bargain at £26. Yes, I repeat, £26!
Another shocker is that they feel relatively comfortable - even with a 5.5 inch heel....

So, do I really have to explain what I am scared of?  A stage, with steps and thousands of people, and me - and THOSE SHOES! 

Yes - I am scared of falling flat on my face because frankly, I am quite good at that!

But enough of my worries now, and onto the fashion side of things! 

I have my dress, which is a flowery chiffon black and pink dip-hem from AX Paris which I am completely in love with. As you can tell, the shoes are also decided on (hopefully) and I picked up the handbag today from one of my favourite boutiques called The Queen B in Penarth town.

So, here is my graduation outfit so far, before I decide to go barefoot.

Next on the list is jewellery, does anyone have any ideas? If you do I would be very happy to hear your opinions and suggestions! It would help me out a lot as at the moment I am completely stuck for ideas! Let me know what you think!

Speak soon guys!

x

The end of an era!

University has officially ended, and as it really is the end of an era, I thought I'd spice today's blog post up a little bit.

So, here it is, my own compilation of fantastic memories from over the last three years at Cardiff University with some of the amazing people I have met! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp_fGGvMlB8&feature=youtube_gdata

Let me know what you think! 

Snow White goes dark

The juxtaposition between good and evil has never been so striking than in Rupert Sanders' Snow White and the Huntsman, starring Twilight's Kristen Stewart in the title role of the princess and well known actress Charleze Theron as her step mother and malevolent evil queen.

From the producers of Alice in Wonderland, the epic action-adventure film Snow White and the Huntsman which was released on May 30th 2012, explores the wonders of computer graphics and really shines as a beautifully produced work of art.

When watching the film, however, the most striking aspects remain in the narrative, which is perfectly adapted from the 1937 Walt Disney version to create a contemporary take on the well known fairytale.

Beautiful and innocent, Kristen Stewart plays Snow White, who's step mother murdered her father to become an all-powerful queen. Since then, she has been held prisoner in a tower and is the only person in the land who is fairer than the Queen Ravenna, who is out to destroy her for the reward of never ending youth. When the Queen sends her brother to order Snow to her death, she escapes, and finds her way into the Dark Forest, where she is guaranteed death.

However, with all the help she could need from the Huntsman and of course, some lovable dwarfs, Snow White is able to escape from the the evil grasp of Queen Ravenna, by stabbing her in the heart, becoming Queen and returning the kingdom to its former glory when her father was king.

The beautiful production makes even the likes of Twilight look dated, and Kristen Stewart's acting is even stronger in the role of the princess which suits her like no other role I have ever seen her in - even her fake British accent is convincing.

The film's beauty is further emphasised by its hair-raising soundtrack 'Breath of Life' by Florence and The Machine, which compliments the film's modern, quirky style and reinforces the refreshing female strength and dominance within the narrative.

One criticism could be the glossing over of some background information about some of the characters, such as Queen Ravenna, which could have been expanded much further. However, the 127 minute long film would struggle to be any longer, unless it wanted it's cinema going audiences' bums becoming numb.

Overall, the film was superbly made and is definitely one to watch this summer, guaranteeing that even the skeptics will be proved wrong.

8/10

Our Road trip to West Wales...

Enjoying the scenery at Caerfai Bay 

Cloudbathing on Newgale Beach

Having a wander around St David's Cathedral

Having a cuppa and eating healthy things...

Looks like we're abroad!

Oh no,  we're definitely in Britain... Drunk of course.

Excited!

My girls!

                      Names in the sand on Newgale Beach

We're like children when we go to the beach!

Cheese!

One of my favourite places in the world!

Go away!

Drunk.. again!

<3

                                                              Love my girls!

                   Thanks for an amazing few days away, I'm going to miss you so much next year! 

Fifty Shades of Fabulous

Fifty Shades of Grey is the first in the trilogy of novels by E L James and is currently a New York Times best seller. But what is all the hype about? Ever since I heard about the 'Fifty Shades' books a few weeks ago, they have since been on the tip of everyone's lips. Last week, I therefore thought I'd buy the first book, to test the waters, before I splashed out on all three.
As you know, if you read my blog, I am very fond of criticising everything and anything, and it is very rare that I praise a novel of a film without a negative comment. But things were about to change as soon as I picked up the novel from the shelf at my local supermarket, as I haven't been able to put it down since.

Usually, when reading novels, especially of the romance genre, I tend to get easily bored, or sometimes, I even find them cringy, as I am definitely more of a horror/thriller kind of girl.
However, there is nothing cringy about these novels, unless you aren't fond of the erotic nature which they are oh so happy to indulge in.
Right from page 1, the story surrounding Anastasia Steele, and her mysterious first love, Christian Grey, is captivating and mind-blowing, and will leave you rushing to Amazon.com to buy your next fix.
Recently compared to the recent Twilight series (no wonder I like it) the Fifty Shades trilogy continues with Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, which I am very much looking forward to reading.

Just like Twilight, E L James is considering film versions of all three novels due to their outstanding success. Warner Bros., Sony, Paramount and Universal Pictures all entered for film rights to the trilogy, but in March, it was announced that the rights had been secured by Universal Pictures and Focus Features.
I personally cannot wait for the films to be released, as with such a good storyline which includes such in depth detail, the films should be just as good, if not better than the novel, with actors such as Ian Somerhalder from The Vampire Diaries and Ashley Benson from Pretty Little Liars expressing interest in acting in the films.