The Big Four - 20/02/14

We're back again with our favouritey favourites for this week!

Daisy

Film - The Grand Budapest Hotel

'The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous hotel from the fictional Republic of Zubrowka between the first and second World Wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.'

             

I'd wanted to see this film from the moment I saw the trailer, however I only managed to get round to it last week and it most definitely did not disappoint! The whole ensemble cast is so brilliant and hilarious but it's Ralph Fiennes who really takes the cake, he is absolutely genius and so convincing as Gustav H - I want him to be my best friend. It is a highly stylized, set in the 20th century, comedy crime caper, in other words everything I love in a film! The Grand Budapest Hotel is so up my alley its frightening, and after only one watch I think it may have gone straight to the top of the list as one of my favourite films ever - it's that good. Watch it, watch it - it bears repeating - WATCH IT!!

Book - Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovich

'My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England. Now I'm a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden ...and there's something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair. The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it's falling to me to bring order out of chaos - or die trying.'

I'm only a couple of chapters in but I can see already that this is an insanely good book! Centered around Police Constable Peter Grant whose life is turned upside down when he becomes a trainee wizard this is an imaginative and incredibly detailed story - to quote Locus Magazine '...sweet relief for readers allergic to cliche.' Don't worry if you really cant be arsed with a slow and 'you're a wizard Harry' style introduction to the underground world of wizardry, because this book gets straight into the action, with more than a few shocks coming in the first few chapters. As the first in a series I can't wait to really get stuck into this book and get deeper into what promises to be a fascinating story. 

TV Programme - Ru Paul's Drag Race

'RuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality competition television series in which RuPaul plays the roles of host, mentor, and source of inspiration in his search for "America's next drag superstar."'

My friend Ruth introduced me to the world of Ru Paul about a month ago and I've been OBSESSED ever since!! It is every bit as ridiculous as it seems and it is absolutely fucking hilarious, every episode seems crazier than the last and has me in stitches every five seconds. The shade that is thrown by these queens is insane and after a couple of episodes you will find yourself with a whole new drag queen vocabulary and set of phrases (or in the words of Bianca Del Rio a 'Rolodex of hate'). I'll end my little description the same way Mama Ru ends every episode - 'If you can't love yourself how in the heellll you gon' love somebody else? Can I get an amen!?'. 

Song - 'Atomic' by Blondie

                     

Another of my latest obsessions is Blondie and the QUEEN Debbie Harry. I have had their greatest hits on repeat and 'Atomic' is an absolute classic and passes the dancing-around-in-my-bedroom test with flying colours. I listen to this a lot when I'm walking to uni or getting dressed, as it makes me feel like a total bad bitch who is ready to take the day by the balls, plus giving me the urge to start wearing blue eyeliner (I'm fairly sure I shouldn't but I can't promise I wont be tempted!). Stick this on, feel the spirit of Debbie within you and go out and be fabulous!

Lily

Film - Maleficent 

'As a beautiful young woman of pure heart, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) has an idyllic life in a forest kingdom. When an invading army threatens the land, Maleficent rises up to become its fiercest protector. However, a terrible betrayal hardens her heart and twists her into a creature bent on revenge. She engages in an epic battle with the invading king's successor, then curses his newborn daughter, Aurora - realizing only later that the child holds the key to peace in the kingdom.'

        

I finally got to watch maleficent this week and I really enjoyed it! I really like the concept of looking at the story of sleeping beauty from a different point of view, instead of focusing on the princess’s story.  Angelina Jolie plays maleficent so convincingly and looks so creepily beautiful in this film, which I absolutely love -  I will definitely be attempting a maleficent makeup look at some point. The film is full of fantasy, action scenes and impressive visual effects - I would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy this kind of film.

Book - Sherlock Chronicles 

I got this book for Christmas this year because I am a sort of Sherlock super-fan – minus the I am sherlocked t-shirt. I also got a 221b baker street necklace, the Sherlock case book and framed picture of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock for my birthday last year. I was already a fan of the Sherlock Holmes books and the film adaptations, so when the modern version starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman came out I instantly fell in love with it. This book takes you through everything from each episode, behind the scenes, the writing, the actors and everything else you could think of about the making of the program. So, if you know anyone who is also a little obsessed with the series, this would be a great present idea. 

TV Program - Pretty Little Liars 

It has been one year since Alison, then the queen bee of the bunch, went missing. Spencer, Aria, Hanna and Emily have gone on with their lives, though they've grown apart. Now in high school, each girl finds herself facing a new set of challenges when anonymous text messages from `A' threaten to expose all of their secrets - both old secrets the girls were sure only Alison knew, and newer secrets developed after Alison's disappearance. Who is `A' and how does he or she know the things he or she knows? 

I have been watching pretty little liars for ages after being hooked by the first few episodes. It is now on its 5^th series and has been renewed for 2 more. Although loads of mysteries have been revealed by now, there is much more to unravel which keeps you enthralled in the program. Each episode usually ends on some sort of cliff-hanger which makes you want to binge watch the next episodes, which for those of you that haven’t started watching yet would be very easily done! The show involves a lot of teenage girl based content but also murder, secrets and mysteries are thrown in the mix to making this program both fun and scary. 

Song - 'Big Bad Wolf' by In This Moment

       

A song I have been listening to a lot this week unveiling my inner screamo is 'Big Bad Wolf' by In This Moment, this song is strange and not my usual kind of music but that’s why I like it. Maria Brink is a badass front woman, and their music and video concepts are always really crazy and cool. This is probably the kind of song that makes my friends think I listen to scary music but I like it. 

Well that's it for us, bye everybody!!

Daisy & Lily

The Big Four - 06/02/2015

Hello! Happy Friday all, sorry we haven't been about for a while! Owing to the amount of times we have skipped doing the Friday playlist purely because it is such a time consuming and generally ball-achy task we've decided to shake things up. From now on we will be having a playlist once every month and on the other Fridays we will be posting this ....

THE BIG FOUR!

In these posts we'll both be choosing a film, book, song and TV show that we have been into the past week and recommending it to you, our discerning legions of fans (aka our family and friends - thanks for reading guys!). Hope you enjoy!

Daisy

Film - Whiplash

'A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.'


            

I've been to the cinema quite a lot recently making the most of orange Wednesdays before they get rid of them on the 25th of Feb (cry), so I've seen a lot of very good new films and out of all of them Whiplash was the standout. When I read what it was about I really wasn't sure it sounded like my sort of thing, but from the minute it started I was completely, one hundred per cent enthralled. To say there isn't a lot of action or a complicated plot it is probably one of the most gripping films I have ever seen - when it was over I felt like I'd been holding my breath for half the time. J. K Simmons is so good and so terrifyingly unhinged you feel as if its you who is getting a chair flung at your head for not keeping the right drum tempo. The synopsis may not grab you but I could not recommend this film more!

Book - I'll Drink to That by Betty Halbreich

'Eighty-six-year-old Betty Halbreich is a true original. A tough broad who could have stepped straight out of Stephen Sondheim’s repertoire, she has spent nearly forty years as the legendary personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman, where she works with socialites, stars, and ordinary women off the street.  But Halbreich’s personal transformation from a cosseted young girl to a fearless truth teller is the greatest makeover of her career.'

I first encountered Betty while watching the Bergdorf Goodman documentary 'Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's' and as soon as I found out she had a book I knew I had to have it! I certainly wasn't disappointed - Betty's memoirs are as frank and hilarious as I was expecting. It is an amazing inside perspective on the world of fashion, offering up endless anecdotes and brilliantly honest (and sometimes scathing) opinions, as well as a very human story about one woman's incredible life. She talks about clothing and dressing in such an intimate way, describing it so vividly and making no apologies for loving what she does. For fans of fashion and sassy older ladies this is most definitely for you!

Song - Punky's Dilemma by Simon and Garfunkel 

                            

Simon and Garfunkel are my jam at the moment - I'm in one of those obsessive phases and I basically listen to nothing else. This has to be one of my favourite tracks for the unabashed simplicity of the music and complete silliness of the lyrics. To demonstrate here's a little sample - 'Wish I was an English Muffin, About to make the most out a toaster. I'd ease my self down, Coming up brown'. The whole thing is nonsense with a nice melody and that's why I like it so much.

TV Program - Arrested Deveopment

1. 'Michael Bluth finds himself forced to stay in Orange County and run the family real estate business after his father, George Bluth Sr., is sent to prison for committing white-collar crime. He tries to juggle the wants and needs of his spoiled and eccentric family while being a good role model for his teenage son, George Michael.'

Arrested Development is pure genius. The show has been around since 2003 and, after being cancelled in 2006 and picked up again by Netflix in 2013, is still going strong. I watch this mostly alone in my room when I'm pottering about and it makes me laugh out loud to myself like a lunatic, which I'm pretty sure is the marker of good comedy. I'm only on the second series and it just continues to get funnier and funnier. There's not much more I can say to convince you of Arrested Development's greatness other than by telling you to watch it and see its genius for yourself. Have a Netflix binge, watch 4/5 episodes and you'll be hooked - do it, I know you want to! 

Lily

Film - X-men: Days of Future Past

'The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.'

            

I only just got to see this film recently because I bought it for our dad for Christmas, and I didn’t get chance to go and see it, but it was definitely worth the wait - it was such an epic film! You can’t really go wrong watching Michael Fassbender (however much of a douche Magneto is) for over 2 hours. It’s an action filled superhero film with so many awesome people in it, it definitely makes you wish you were a mutant (it’s actually suggested that ginger hair is due to a mutation though– does that count?) I also have a total girl crush on Jennifer Lawrence because she’s badass.

Book - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

'Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before-and survival, for her, is second nature'

I’m a little late on the hype as I only recently got into the hunger games film series, and I don’t know why it took me so long! I instantly became obsessed like everyone else, so I thought I should start reading the books because I’ve been told they’re really good.  I’m not very far in yet, but so far I’m really enjoying it. (A little?! From Daisy :P)

Song - Blank Space by I Prevail

            

This pop punk version of Taylor Swifts ‘Blank space’ is right up my street. I already quite like the original song (probably because my friends have been playing it non- stop) and this version just puts an awesome punk rock twist on it. I prevail are a post-hardcore group that have recently become more well-known because of this cover, and their new album ‘heart vs. mind’ is also worth a listen too. 

TV Program - Brooklyn 99

'Jake Peralta, an immature but talented NYPD detective in Brooklyn's 99th Precinct, comes into immediate conflict with his new commanding officer, the serious and stern Captain Ray Holt.'

I’ve recently got into watching Brooklyn 99, and I’m so glad I did because it is hilarious. I already loved Andy Samberg from his role in the BBC three program 'Cuckoo', and his role as Jake Peralta is just as brilliant. I also love Terry Crews because he is equally as funny, and he can make his pecks dance which is always amusing. Its all the characters that really make this program and why it makes me laugh so much, It is definitely worth watching!

Okay chaps, hope you enjoyed this weeks picks and perhaps even go out and sample some of them for yourself. Bysie-byeee!

Daisy & Lily.