Here in a new feature on this blog. I hope it will give you some interesting and varied viewing. I am by nature a very curious person, always have been since I was a child and I love to learn so my viewing can be diverse as hell, you have been warned! I hope at least some of the topics will be of interest and I plan to do this weekly so without further ado and rambling from me, here is five YouTube video recommendations to watch this week. 🙂
Music
This powerful song has been put along alongside some powerful images here. We see activists who are ordinary people as well as well-known activists for the rights of people of color like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. Highlighted too are the rights of women and LGBTQAI+ people. A very emotional watch.
Social Issues
I am very socially-conscious but I hadn’t heard about Juneteenth until very recently. This video explains very well something I must look more into. Please do watch this video which talks about the day and it’s connections to slavery and the emancipation of so many people of color. It isn’t easy obviously to watch because the fact people were treated in that way is utterly disgusting but we need to acknowledge that terrible history and do better by our brothers, sisters and non-binary people of color.
TV
I am a huge fan of Aquaria and this is the opening episode of her On/Off series where she was out in the Philippines last year. A very interesting series detailing many of her work engagements from last year.
Relaxation
We all need a moment to relax, destress and get ourselves ok again. I have recently got into ASMR as a way to relax and I love videos by Mads Asmr. In this video, Maddie is scratching, raking and pinching and plucking away your stress.
Film
I am a huge Sister Act fan and this scene with Sister Mary Clarence/Deloris Van Cartier and Sister Alma never fails to make me laugh.
Reason (2015) is a short film directed by Bruno Ilogti and written by Marcela Jacobina. The story, which was inspired by Philosophical Investigations (1953), Ludwig Wittgenstein’s posthumous work, follows Gemma (played by Andreja Pejic), a model living in New York who goes to therapist Clement Belrose (played by Anna Mouglalis) because she sees her career as been superficial and feels guilty for not being content with her life which others wish to have.
Andreja Pejic’s portrayal of Gemma is stunning and very emotive. We are brought into the story and the deepness of Gemma’s emotions through her excellent performance and expressiveness. Anna Mouglalis’ performance is also excellent and together their scenes are sublime and filled with emotion and occasional humour. It is a well-written story which tosses the usual stereotype of a model on it’s head. Gemma feels guilty about achieving what she has because she doesn’t feel she deserves it or she is doing anything worthwhile and it is through this vulnerability in the character that viewers can connect with her. It is very human and we all feel it in one way or another. The way the film is shot is also beautifully done.
Style was on the agenda as usual at the recent Oscars. Below I have compiled the style highlights from the night so let’s take a look back at some of the style winners:
Female Style
Saoirse Ronan
Looking stunning on the night in this dark green sequinned gown by Calvin Klein was Saoirse Ronan who was nominated at the awards for Best Actress for her role in Brooklyn.
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg looked amazing on the night in this wonderful gothic-style gown.
Alicia Vikander
Winner of Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Danish Girl, Alicia Vikander looked amazing in this light yellow gown for her big win.
Brie Larson
Winner of Best Actress on the night for her role in Room, Brie Larson looked fabulous for her big win in this dark blue gown by Gucci.
Male Style
Jared Leto
The always stylish Jared Leto looked brilliant on the night in Gucci.
Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart looked amazing on the night in this wonderfully glitzy jacket.
Sam Smith
Winner of Best Original Song with Jimmy Napes on the night for Writing’s On The Wall from Spectre, Sam Smith looked very dapper for his performance and for their big win as did Jimmy Napes too. His speech which he dedicated to the LGBT community worldwide was lovely even if part of it was a bit inaccurate. Go Sam!
Chris Rock
Host Chris Rock looked amazing for his presenting duties on the night. On another note I absolutely loved the way he confronted the issue of there been no black actors and actresses nominated in the main categories with amazing humour. Go Chris!
Love Hate (2009) is a short film starring Ben Whishaw and Hayley Atwell and written and directed by Blake Ritson and Dylan Ritson with music composed by Tom Haines and Christopher Branch.
It follows the story of a charity worker called Tom (Whishaw) who meets Hate (Atwell) and shows Tom that underneath his kind spirit there might be another side to Tom’s personality. Very good comedy/drama with a touch of the supernatural possibly about it and really well acted.
I recently watched a documentary on TV3 called Marilyn Monroe: The Missing Evidence which was very interesting. Investigating whether Monroe’s death in 1962 at the age of just 36 was suicide or murder, the documentary has some interesting input from commenters including Chris Epting, Professor Robert Watson, Richard Buskin, Darwin Porter, Raymond Strait and Jay Margolis. Detailing various different versions of what may have happened on the night of Monroe’s death, the documentary includes information such as the eyewitness statements of ambulance attendant James Hall and partner Murray Liebowitz that they seen Dr. Greenson inject a fatal injection into Monroe’s heart and how St. Jack Clements who arrived later thought it was murder. The theories that Robert Kennedy was at Monroe’s house twice in the day and told Dr. Greenson on the phone that Monroe needed to be silenced are also explored.
A really interesting documentary with lots of information leaving viewers to draw their own conclusions on what they believe to have happened that night.
Recently two very big ceremonies took place. One in the world of film. The other in the world of music. The Oscars in America and The Brits in England. Let’s take a look back at the highlights from Royal Blood’s win for rock at The Brits and Birdman’s big win at the Oscars as well as the style and the winners!
Highlights From The Oscars
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Wins Best Picture
Graham Moore’s, John Legend’s, Common’s & Patricia Arquette’s Inspiring Speeches & John Legend’s & Common’s Performance
Neil Patrick Harris Opens the Show
Maroon 5 Perform
Winners
Best picture: Birdman
Actress in a leading role: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Actor in a leading role: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
It’s been a whirlwind of awards ceremonies recently with some of music’s finest turning up for the Grammys in America and some of the acting greats turning up at the Baftas in England. The talent, the performances, the style … it’s been another glittering year for these two prestigious ceremonies. Let’s take a look at the highlights starting with the Grammys.
The Grammys
Sam Smith’s Four Wins And Performance With Mary J Blige
I am so happy for Sam Smith on his four Grammy wins. Sometimes the big winners at some of these ceremonies can be very hyped up acts but this year a true singer came out on top. Winning Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Speaking after winning his final award for Record of the Year, Smith (22) said,
“I want to thank the man who this record is about, who I fell in love with last year. Thank you so much for breaking my heart because you got me four Grammys.”
He later said of the man who inspired the record,
“I’ll be seeing him soon. So I can let him touch the Grammy — once.”
Hozier’s Nomination And Annie Lennox Duet
So proud of our very own Hozier who was nominated for Song Of The Year for Take Me To Church on the night and performed Take Me To Church and I Put a Spell on You with Annie Lennox. Stunning.
AC/DC Open The Show
One of rock’s finest AC/DC opened the show to perfection with tons of energy.
Record of the Year
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)”
Steve Fitzmaurice, Rodney Jerkins & Jimmy Napes, producers; Steve Fitzmaurice, Jimmy Napes & Steve Price, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer Label: Capitol Records; Publishers: Sony/ATV Songs LLC obo Naughty Worlds Ltd./Universal-Polygram Int. Tunes, Inc. obo Salli Isaak Songs, Ltd./Universal Polygram Int. Tunes, Inc. obo Method Paperwork
Song of the Year
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)”
James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters
Album of the Year
Beck – Morning Phase
Beck Hansen, producer; Tom Elmhirst, David Greenbaum, Florian Lagatta, Cole Marsden Greif-Neill, Robbie Nelson, Darrell Thorp, Cassidy Turbin & Joe Visciano, engineers/mixers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer
Best New Artist
Sam Smith
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera – “Say Something”
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga – Cheek To Cheek
Best Pop Solo Performance
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Best Pop Vocal Album
Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour
Best Rock Performance
Jack White – “Lazaretto”
Best Rock Album
Beck – Morning Phase
Best Rock Song
Paramore – “Ain’t It Fun”
Hayley Williams & Taylor York, songwriters
Best Alternative Rock Album
St. Vincent – St. Vincent
Best Metal Performance
Tenacious D – “The Last In Line”
Best Rap Performance
Kendrick Lamar – “I”
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Eminem Featuring Rihanna – “The Monster”
Best Rap Song
Kendrick Lamar – “I”
K. Duckworth & C. Smith, songwriters
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Frozen
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Tom MacDougall & Chris Montan, compilation producers
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alexandre Desplat, composer
Best Song Written for Visual Media
“Let It Go” from Frozen
Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Idina Menzel)
Best Country Album
Miranda Lambert – Platinum
Best Country Solo Performance
Carrie Underwood – “Something In The Water”
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
The Band Perry – “Gentle On My Mind”
Best Country Song
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You”
Glen Campbell & Julian Raymond, songwriters (Glen Campbell)
Best Bluegrass Album
The Earls Of Leicester – The Earls Of Leicester
Best American Roots Performance
Rosanne Cash – “A Feather’s Not A Bird”
Best American Roots Song
Rosanne Cash – “A Feather’s Not A Bird”
Best Americana Album
Rosanne Cash – The River & The Thread
Best Folk Album
Old Crow Medicine Show – Remedy
Best Music Video
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Best Music Film
20 Feet From Stardom
Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill
Morgan Neville, video director; Gil Friesen & Caitrin Rogers, video producers
We Are From LA, video director; Kathleen Heffernan, Solal Micenmacher, Jett Steiger, video producers
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Max Martin
“Bang Bang” (Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj)
“Break Free” (Ariana Grande Featuring Zedd)
“Dark Horse” (Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J)
“Problem” (Ariana Grande Featuring Iggy Azalea)
“Shake It Off” (Taylor Swift)
“Unconditionally” (Katy Perry)
Best Instrumental Composition
John Williams – “The Book Thief”
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
Pentatonix – “Daft Punk”
Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals
Billy Childs – “New York Tendaberry”
Best Recording Package
Jeff Ament, Don Pendleton, Joe Spix & Jerome Turner, art directors
Pearl Jam – Lightning Bolt
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
Susan Archie, Dean Blackwood & Jack White, art directors
The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27)
Best Album Notes
Ashley Kahn
John Coltrane – Offering: Live At Temple University
Best Historical Album
Colin Escott & Cheryl Pawelski, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer
Hank Williams – The Garden Spot Programs, 1950
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Beck – Morning Phase
Tom Elmhirst, David Greenbaum, Florian Lagatta, Cole Marsden Greif-Neill, Robbie Nelson, Darrell Thorp, Cassidy Turbin & Joe Visciano, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
Tijs Michiel Verwest, remixer
John Legend – “All Of Me (Tiesto’s Birthday Treatment Remix)”
Best Regional Roots Music Album
Jo-El Sonnier – The Legacy
Best Reggae Album
Ziggy Marley – Fly Rasta
Best World Music Album
Angelique Kidjo – Eve
Best Children’s Album
Neela Vaswani – I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education And Changed The World (Malala Yousafzai)
Best Musical Theatre Album
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Jessie Mueller, principal soloist; Jason Howland, Steve Sidwell & Billy Jay Stein, producers (Carole King, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)
Best Blues Album
Johnny Winter – Step Back
Best Spoken Word Album
Joan Rivers – Diary Of A Mad Diva
Best Comedy Album
“Weird Al” Yankovic – Mandatory Fun
Best New Age Album
Ricky Kej & Wouter Kellerman – Winds Of Samsara
Best Improved Jazz Solo
Chick Corea – “Fingerprints”
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Dianne Reeves – Beautiful Life
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Chick Corea Trio – Trilogy
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – Life In The Bubble
Best Latin Jazz Album
Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra – The Offense Of The Drum
Presented By: LL Cool J
The Baftas
Boyhood Wins Best Picture
Boyhood collected the Best Picture award on the night and looks set for Oscar glory.
Stephen Fry’s Kiss-athon
The host Stephen Fry had a kiss-athon on the night sharing kisses with Michael Norton, Edward Norton and Cuba Gooding Jr.
Kasabian Open The Show
The wonderful Kasabian opened the show brilliantly.
Jack O’ Connell Wins Rising Star Award
Actor Jack O’ Connell follows in the footsteps of James McAvoy (who presented him with the award) and Ben Whishaw by winning this prestigious award.
Eddie Redmayne And Julianne Moore Win Leading Acting Awards
Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore look set for Oscar glory adding the Bafta to their collections.
And the style:
Best Male Style
Stephen Fry And Elliott Spencer
Douglas Booth
Best Female Style
Julie Walters
Keira Knightley
Full List of Winners
Best film
Boyhood Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland
Best actress
Julianne Moore Still Alice
Best actor
Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything
Best director
Richard Linklater Boyhood
EE rising star award (voted for by the public)
Jack O’Connell
Best costume design
The Grand Budapest Hotel Milena Canonero
Best adapted screenplay
The Theory of Everything Anthony McCarten
Best film not in the English language
Ida Paweł Pawlikowski, Eric Abraham, Piotr Dzięcioł, Ewa Puszczynska
Best original screenplay
The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson
Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer
Stephen Beresford (writer), David Livingstone (producer) Pride
Best cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki Birdman
Best supporting actress
Patricia Arquette Boyhood
Best supporting actor
JK Simmons Whiplash
Best special visual effects
Interstellar Paul Franklin, Scott Fisher, Andrew Lockley
Best animated film
The Lego Movie Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Best sound
Whiplash Thomas Curley, Ben Wilkins, Craig Mann
Best editing
Whiplash Tom Cross
Best short animation
The Bigger Picture Chris Hees, Daisy Jacobs, Jennifer Majka
Best short film
Boogaloo and Graham Brian J Falconer, Michael Lennox, Ronan Blaney
Best makeup and hair
The Grand Budapest Hotel Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier
Best production design
The Grand Budapest Hotel Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock
Best documentary
Citizenfour Laura Poitras
Best original music
The Grand Budapest Hotel Alexandre Desplat
Outstanding British film
The Theory of Everything James Marsh, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten
Bafta Fellowship (announced earlier)
Mike Leigh
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema (announced earlier)
BBC Films
I loved this film, The Family Stone (2005) but my main problem with it was that I found it hard to care about the protagonist Meredith’s (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) plight in the film and you need to be rooting for the main character wanting them to succeed. I didn’t love the character but I was rooting for her up to the point where she had her homophobic/racist moment at the dinner table. After that, I zoned out from supporting her which threw the concept of relating to a character out the window. How can one root for someone like that?
Otherwise I liked the movie. It was very realistic, funny (fantastic one-liners!) and endearing. It had that whole traditional family Christmas element but it didn’t over milk it to the extreme. It was a set of characters who seemed very real to real life with flaws and good qualities so the writing was superb in almost every aspect. It is brilliantly written by and also directed by Thomas Bezucha. The acting from the whole cast was incredible especially Diane Keaton and Craig Nelson as the parents of Meredith’s fiance Everett (played by Dermot Mulroney) and Tyrone Giordano as his brother Thad but the whole cast are amazing and unite brilliantly to give touching performances in this Christmas family drama/comedy. Well worth watching for the festive season if you haven’t seen it already. You won’t be disappointed.
Today is World Suicide Prevention Day and a very important film called Davin was released in advance of today. Directed by Irish director Graham Jones, the film is about the death by suicide of an Irishman Davin and how his loved ones deal with his death by suicide.
Jones says:
“It’s a great idea to have a specific date every year when the issue of suicide is highlighted. However, sometimes it feels as if the day just comes and goes without enough attention from those of us outside the support services. This small indie movie is a humble attempt as filmmakers, actors and musicians to send a message to anyone who may be at risk of entering this emotional space. You are not alone.”
I am very proud that an Irish director has created a film with such depth and meaning. It is very important that suicide and depression are spoken about in a world where these parts of life are still seen as a stigma by many people leaving a lot of people feeling isolated and alone.
It is an incredibly thought-provoking script and each of the cast are wonderful in it. It is a realistic script and a very brave film to make and the dialogue is very moving. The way that the film is told from the characters’ perspectives drives the emotive and powerful force of the script and helps to hammer it’s vital message home. It adds a human face to suicide and depression which is very important.
I recently went to The Mermaid in Bray with my mum and sis to see the box office smash Cavalry starring Irish legendary actor Brendan Gleeson as Father James Lavelle. The theatre is a lovely little theatre. Very intimate and cosy. My mum has always been a huge Brendan Gleeson fan and Gleeson never disappoints in his various diverse roles in cinema and this particular role was no exception to that rule as he played the kind priest who is on the verge of paying for the sins of the bad priests in the Church.
The writing by John Michael McDonagh was really superb. If you live in Ireland you see so many films where people have the same respect as years ago for the Church and that simply isn’t an authentic reflection of everyone in Irish society nowadays. What McDonagh done superbly (and rather bravely really) was to write the various different reactions to the Church and priests from people who have faith to people who despise the Church and the views of everyone inbetween. The characters are so well-rounded, even the more minor characters in the film and the movie really is a bit of a masterpiece. It shows the complexity of people and how not everybody is as black-and-white as they appear. You get worried when there is the level of hype which surrounds a movie like the hype surrounding Cavalry but it definitely lives up to it’s hype. The scenery of Sligo also looks absolutely beautiful throughout the movie and Patrick Cassidy’s music is very emotive. I also must mention the scene with Brendan and his gorgeous son Domhnall Gleeson when the priest goes in to see Domhnall’s character serial killer and cannibalist Freddie Joyce. They play it really well. It was a bit surreal but they played it really well.
It’s a family affair in Cavalry!
My personal favourite characters were Milo Herlihy played by Love/Hate’s Killian Scott, Leo played by Owen Sharpe and of course Bruno the dog. Done in a comedy way, the character of Milo’s shyness and fear of not finding someone is played out. It is a way a lot of people feel but isn’t always addressed in film. Leo just makes me laugh. He is really brash and funny but an interesting element which is touched upon through his face when talking to the priest while playing pool is that he may not be as happy as he pretends which is true of a lot of people who pretend that everything is Ok all the time. Then there’s Bruno who is just such a sweetheart. I absolutely love dogs and he’s such a dote and so loyal to Father James. I love him! 🙂
Milo!
Leo!
Father James with Bruno and his daughter in the movie!
The film is a stunning piece of writing with many characters you can identify with or if not many you know someone like while Brendan Gleeson takes on the protagonist with gusto and gives an amazing performance proving why he has been at the top of his game in the acting world for so long. The rest of the cast are also amazing in their various roles as well whether they are playing a major part or a smaller role in the production. This movie proves that Irish acting, writing and film in general is alive and well and ready to take on anyone at their craft.
