FASHION: Film

<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30HxadN-HkgZzA8LyQM_YzHAET_N8yfB6TIglWJxmdy_GIVtzZ0ThAPoYnwf_68DXfNZ521DfL46c6-LHcHMPFLkx7lHC_nvXqRHvVpRSA4ofttvIf_lgHXSIg47J2XGDvM6bmfT7Rrs/s1600/f3b59814450d38edaffcc17f5ec8570f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30HxadN-HkgZzA8LyQM_YzHAET_N8yfB6TIglWJxmdy_GIVtzZ0ThAPoYnwf_68DXfNZ521DfL46c6-LHcHMPFLkx7lHC_nvXqRHvVpRSA4ofttvIf_lgHXSIg47J2XGDvM6bmfT7Rrs/s640/f3b59814450d38edaffcc17f5ec8570f.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Whether its going to the cinema (the<a href="http://www.curzoncinemas.com/cinemas/soho/" target="_blank"> Curzon</a> and <a href="http://www.electriccinema.co.uk/" target="_blank">Electric </a>are my favourites in London), watching one of the many DVDs from our 'to watch' pile, reading reviews in the Sunday papers or listening to my favourite geeky film podcast (<a href="http://www.filmspotting.net/" target="_blank">Film Spotting</a> for anyone interested) in the bath, movies are a massive part of my downtime. So much so, I don't really feel like I've had a proper weekend unless I've zoned out to at least one film. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">So I thought it might be fun to do the occasional 'recently watched' post to highlight a few of the films, both old and new, I've seen and loved of late. I tend to get carried away with these sorts of things so I'm going to be strict with myself and keep it all as brief as possible!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">So if you're in need of something to watch this weekend or just reminding of an old favourite, I hope this gives you a little bit of inspiration.  Let me know what you think and if you too have seen any of the below-I'd love to know what you think. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>I Wish // Nobody Knows</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6UuFJVzYqjCC5C4JqZRXlQAqCRAJZtye0VVVWpSK6UlVzJT9w2dHOogdYZaIe90JzBBqpuReRPk6y1OYf_byGd1GMnTEoVmYzdNThzRnCAn6pWMZmT8scIbKiH9PljiFt7TFLkwqcPk/s1600/nobodyknows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6UuFJVzYqjCC5C4JqZRXlQAqCRAJZtye0VVVWpSK6UlVzJT9w2dHOogdYZaIe90JzBBqpuReRPk6y1OYf_byGd1GMnTEoVmYzdNThzRnCAn6pWMZmT8scIbKiH9PljiFt7TFLkwqcPk/s640/nobodyknows.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5a9XDmuCeC6fk6QtP_FWuAlvJp6YNtP6nH-iKw92VhMk4sC9IJ4JfOot-HvqnB7aaN-Mgmb6sLwsa9dr93K3FOfmVCceI_OpaE4SJALHbXORhyOC37BfQLz6PyV2QpV-W4Jo6aYEa80/s1600/nobody-knows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5a9XDmuCeC6fk6QtP_FWuAlvJp6YNtP6nH-iKw92VhMk4sC9IJ4JfOot-HvqnB7aaN-Mgmb6sLwsa9dr93K3FOfmVCceI_OpaE4SJALHbXORhyOC37BfQLz6PyV2QpV-W4Jo6aYEa80/s640/nobody-knows.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">After being totally won over by <i>I Wish</i> after seeing it at the ICA a couple of months ago, I decided to investigate some more of Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeka's films, starting with the 2004 <i>Nobody Knows</i>.  Undeniably sweet, <i>I Wish</i> is the best kind of visual soul food, meandering along to a heart-warming ending that's saved from veering towards sentimental by a good dose of dry humour and realism. So one day, while off-sick from work with a thick cold, I curled up in bed with <i>Nobody Knows</i> expecting much of the same. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The film sees a group of children left alone in a small apartment after their wayward mother appears to have left once and for all. Akira, the eldest brother on the cusp of adulthood, is left in charge of his 3 siblings and has to juggle keeping his family together while also dealing with the turbulence of being a teenager. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Half coming-of-age melodrama, half tragic tale of survival and loneliness, <i>Nobody Knows</i> is one of those films that really gets under your skin and despite feeling quite slow while you're watching, it stays with you for a long time afterwards.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nobody-Knows-DVD-Yuya-Yagira/dp/B000936H32/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1365157443&sr=1-1&keywords=nobody+knows" target="_blank">Buy the DVD here. </a></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Rachel Getting Married </u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomSe-oQKHS0xlXghAFeI6iwrohUdhJMtCMuFk-XU1SxCdzSQNMaTm_gEUMNS9qkSK3LHdqH5exZ5g2HXQ4kM93pNVe6NyrCilm2eE8OVxjgndNpFaidCvvbjb6SighKWPKSGdYDbRKBM/s1600/rachelgettingmarried1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomSe-oQKHS0xlXghAFeI6iwrohUdhJMtCMuFk-XU1SxCdzSQNMaTm_gEUMNS9qkSK3LHdqH5exZ5g2HXQ4kM93pNVe6NyrCilm2eE8OVxjgndNpFaidCvvbjb6SighKWPKSGdYDbRKBM/s640/rachelgettingmarried1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMFC9CuO2P1ocFIHh30_8iPs0ENfxd9yOdpk73_XzaFKUKnD2x2u_KFg5UcvvyO6_hYcDCfy-YiSHB9PMywGw2FkwR0sT_2Jdh7UEXej1AE0SUV3zeCncIIEAYbocxg9nSklhS6Tj1CA/s1600/2008_rachel_getting_married_003-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMFC9CuO2P1ocFIHh30_8iPs0ENfxd9yOdpk73_XzaFKUKnD2x2u_KFg5UcvvyO6_hYcDCfy-YiSHB9PMywGw2FkwR0sT_2Jdh7UEXej1AE0SUV3zeCncIIEAYbocxg9nSklhS6Tj1CA/s640/2008_rachel_getting_married_003-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">A heady mix of love, loss, addition, grief and one rollercoaster of a wedding, <i>Rachel Getting Married</i> is an amazingly real portrayal of a normal family dealing with extraordinary circumstances and emotions. A far cry from her <i>Princess Diairies</i> days, Anne Hathaway is really brilliant as damaged Kym while Rosemarie DeWitt is fast becoming one of my favourite actors for her incredibly natural way of performing.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> Desperate, tragic and hopeful all at once, <i>Rachel Getting Married </i>might not be one for a Sunday evening (you've been warned), but its beautiful cinematography and intense performances make it well worth a watch.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rachel-Getting-Married-Anne-Hathaway/dp/B001Q3M38W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365157413&sr=8-1&keywords=rachel+getting+married" target="_blank">Buy the DVD here.  </a></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>The Sessions</u></b></span></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNyrHUtlBGSzfMLNVaNOn0DDHXCdL3Pp1UY9YKGUGDrhIiX9ORJwyIfTamRCH8yr1VCFqMwQzy3gBJ25m9xW2010nCTOzvqpmSf8Gxbd1Qn4wmyMSqll8mfeabND7EJ9GK4K_uI56ylU/s1600/the+sessions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNyrHUtlBGSzfMLNVaNOn0DDHXCdL3Pp1UY9YKGUGDrhIiX9ORJwyIfTamRCH8yr1VCFqMwQzy3gBJ25m9xW2010nCTOzvqpmSf8Gxbd1Qn4wmyMSqll8mfeabND7EJ9GK4K_uI56ylU/s640/the+sessions.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeGNHFrfkDiyoWGcfEKaLk8ghYGUZ1c2rOAyyDZkwgZLPm0GkpVwjLHNbf72PrG-_4M4nKspCW_eXuKKh2B4pGsc4HQQVb4S5cK3S10za1dbchp_LhneCM3zBH8_kf-oMtFdqX4BDjaE/s1600/the-sessions-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeGNHFrfkDiyoWGcfEKaLk8ghYGUZ1c2rOAyyDZkwgZLPm0GkpVwjLHNbf72PrG-_4M4nKspCW_eXuKKh2B4pGsc4HQQVb4S5cK3S10za1dbchp_LhneCM3zBH8_kf-oMtFdqX4BDjaE/s640/the-sessions-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I never had myself down as a much of a weeper when it came to movies, but in the last year or so I've become much more of crier and <i>The Sessions</i> is case in point of this more emotional me.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I actually saw this a little while ago, around Christmas time, but couldn't not include it in my first film post. Telling the story of Mark O'Brien, a man reduced to a horizontal life in an iron lung after contracting polio at 6 years old, who employs a sex surrogate to help him lose his virginity, <i>The Sessions</i> is more heart-warming, charming and funny than its subject matter might belie. The fact it's an entirely true story just makes it all the more moving. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">On a visual level, I loved the 1970s San Francisco setting but it's  the performances that really sets the film apart. Having only seen him  in pretty sinister roles previously, John Hawkes was a revelation in  terms of talent and sensitivity.  </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Engaged from start to finish, I was left feeling incredibly humbled in a flurry of bittersweet tears that took a full afternoon to recover from.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+sessions" target="_blank">Buy the DVD here. </a></span></div>

Movie Me Now

Whether its going to the cinema (the Curzon and Electric are my favourites in London), watching one of the many DVDs from our 'to watc...