It's the Count! It's the Count! It's the Count!

This week the new Vulturehound magazine issue was released! I have a short piece about A Series of Unfortunate Events that features. I am still obsessed with this show, ended up watching it back to back because I loved it so much! It was like Brett Helquist's illustrations had come to life and Patrick Warburton's amazing voice channelled Lemony Snicket's words perfectly to the screen.

The article I wrote is more about Jim Carey's Olaf compared to Neil Patrick Harris' interpretation but I do gush about how much I loved the books and TV show.

The new issue of Vulturehound can be read HERE in all its glory. One not to miss, especially The Walking Dead fans out there.

Around the World: Saudi Arabia

As the Womens March on London in solidarity with USA was yesterday and I was proud to be one of the 100,000 there, I thought it only right that I watch a film by a woman and about a girl, from country that oppresses women.

I remember when Wadjda first came out and there was buzz about the film about a girl who wanted to buy a bicycle. A simple enough story but the fact that it was set in Suadi Arabia where a girl riding a bike is frowned upon, that makes the story different.

Wadjda is an 11 year old girl who is unlike her classmates. She definitely wears converse to school, listens to rock music, talks back to adults, including men and all she wants is to buy a green bike to race her friend Abdullah. She tries to raise the money herself by selling mixtapes and making bacelets but as these are forbidden at school, she decides to enter a Quran recital competition and use the money to buy her bike. Her mother is preoccupied with the prospect that her husband will take a second wife and dealing with an awful commute to work to notice half the things going on with Wadjda but ultimately, she understands her daughter and wants her to be happy.

On the surface this is a story about a girl who wants a bike. But what surrounds Wadjda's story is how women are treated and how they are meant to behave in society. Wadjda loves her father who barely seems to be around but she slowly starts to see her worth in his eyes, especially when she pins her name to a picture of the family tree only to find it has been ripped off later. Wadjda is wonderfully unique and the fact her mother knows it and embraces it by the end of the film is encouraging to see. Even her friend Abdullah is likes her as she is and doesn't want anything else, saying that he wants to marry her when they're old enough, knowing full well that she'll be difficult, in a good way.

Some parts are difficult to watch most likely because I can't comprehend what is happening, but is a brilliant film that was delightfully unexpected.

Coming soon 

#AroundtheWorldin80Films

Blind Spot Series: The Purple Rose of Cairo

Short and sweet today!

This month's Blind Spot pick also happened to be a review for VH too, so I hope this isn't considered as 'cheating' as I did write something, it's just on another site.

The full review and thoughts are HERE.

To see where it all started and for an excellent insight to film, have a look at The Matinee and have a look HERE for more Blind Spot posts from other bloggers.

Around the World: France

After The Stolen Years I really needed cheering up so once again took to Netflix to see what their 'international' section had to offer. I came across Blind Date but passed it as I wasn't quite convinced of the story, but after a scrolling scrolling I thought, why not!

There is something different about French romantic comedies that makes them fun to watch. Anything that is churned out of Hollywood and most British rom-coms lack a spark of originality but you can argue that's the genre, it has a formula that they all follow. But somehow, for me the French can play out their silly romantic comedic set ups but its actually good.

Blind Date or Un peu, beaucoup, aveuglement is actually no different from any other rom-com. Two people, a shy pianist and an irritable recluse game/puzzle maker become neighbours but the problem is that the wall that separates their flats/apartments is a thin hollow wall so they can hear everything the other is doing or saying. Of course this causes some issues and the two end up in a noise war before coming to a strict routine. But after a passionate piano recital the two spend all night talking. They start to date but without seeing each other. They take meals together and move their beds close to the wall and to them this is the perfect arrangement. But who can have a relationship as unique as this and keep it going?

The leads, whos names we don't find out, are amusing separately as they interact with others. Each seeing the relationship as something special, they have someone in their lives and they can keep their own space, but together (through the wall) they are actually quite sweet and the wall becomes a barrier in more ways then one. The argument that causes their break up (you knew this would happen) should have been bigger. The wall between them is ever present and doesn't really come down until very near the end, but apart from this, it was charming story. There is an odd side story about the pianist's sister who cheats on her husband and this isn't really given much depth apart from that she doesn't seem to care. The game maker's friend is given more of a back story apart from why he;s still friends with the game maker who is actually mean to him most of the time. But, I suppose, in rom-com land it doesn't matter.

Blind Date was the escapism I needed which is odd to say so early on in this challenge. Typically French and fun to watch, bring on more French rom-coms!

Coming soon 

#AroundtheWorldin80Films

Around the World: China

This was a spare of the moment pick as I was looking through what was new on Netflix and for some reason The Stolen Years stood out. I thought it was a romantic comedy and seeing as I had never seen a Chinese rom-com, this seemed perfect but oh man was I wrong.

He Man wakes up from a month long coma with amnesia. She can't remember the last 5 years. The last thing she remembers is being on Honeymoon with her husband. But now they are divorced, her best friend doesn't speak to her and her co-workers are scared of her. She can't understand what happened. Missing her husband and wanting to understand what went wrong she asks her ex-husband to help her remember by going to the places they used to go together. BUT the film takes a turn away from drama to completely depressing territory. 
 
The film plays out in two halves, the first is about how happy Xie Yu and He Man were and what actually happened in the last two years of their marriage. Its all about how they still love each other and can they have a second chance. The second part is about SPOILER ALERT He Man having dementia. There is an adorable sequence where Xie Yu proposes again which is followed a slow horrible end with He Man in hospital. Its actually heartbreaking and not exactly what I planned on watching at 10am on a Sunday morning. 

 Although I thought I was getting another film, I'm glad I stumbled upon this film, as most Chinese films I've seen have been sweeping epics and period costume stories, so this was a pleasant 'oh may gad I can't believe the film turned to this' surprise and actually perfect for this challenge.

Next up: France, where I actually did manage to watch a rom-com. 

Coming soon 

#AroundtheWorldin80Films 

Around the World: Finland

First post of the new year and I'm proud to say that its for my self given challenge. From the land of the real Santa Claus/Father Christmas comes a creepy story which I kind of wish I saw over Christmas. I think it would have calmed me down before cooking for everyone or made me more grounded in the lead up to Christmas day. I know better for next year.

Just to recap, the challenge I have set myself is to watch, ideally, 80 films this year from around the world. My first choice was Finland, a place which I am happy to say that I visited last year as part of a resolution. But I do wish to explore of the countryside as I only visited Helsinki and Tampere.

Rare Exports very interestingly doesn't begin with the title of the film after a short scene on a mountain top where an unknown 'thing' is about to be unerathed, a logo appears to introduce the story. Pietari is the heart of the story. He lives with his Dad, a butcher, in small cut off community who rely on the reindeer for food and income. But after the odd excavation on the mountain, strange things happen. An entire herd of reindeer are slaughtered, weird footsteps in the snow on the roof, potato sacks with out the potatoes taken and the old man, found in an illegal wolf trap. But this old man is not what he seems. Pietari believes that the real Santa Claus from fairytales has come back. The evil Santa Claus with horns and a cauldron to boil children. At first his fantasies seem ridiculous but its not long before the rest of the men in the village understand.

A creepy Christmas story that from the outside looks to be a horror story but is infact a triumphant tale about courage, as well as the creepy and severe unsettling fact that Santa Claus is evil and puts children in sacks and replaces them in bed with wooden versions. With Onni Tommila as Pietari, he really makes you part of the story, whether he is scaring himself or taking charge of the situation.

Another fantastic part of the film is seeing the snow covered mountains. Of course seeing more the landscape would have been great but the feeling of isolation is felt with the small community gathering together to herd the reindeer. It felt like a Finnish story. Or at least, it felt like that to me.

From Finland we shall we heading south, but the destination has not been picked yet as there are a few options...

Coming soon 

#AroundtheWorldin80Films