Weighing in | 50 Shades of Grey





It has been about a week and a half since I, like the majority of the world, dipped my toe in, bit the bullet and dove straight in to see 50 Shades of Grey at my local cinema. As a film buff I see most of the films that come out, and I have to say the hype surrounding this particular novel (if you can call it that) to film adaptation, in fact my local newspaper (The Evening Express) estimated that around 15,000 Aberdonians were set to flock to the cinemas on opening weekend to see it (which I of course avoided at all costs due to my intense hatred of crowds!) Since then I have seen various reviews, rants and general posts about the '50 Shades Experience' mainly revolving around issues of consent, domestic violence and feminism all of which have been very interesting to read, the world would be a very boring place if everyone were the same wouldn't it? So today I thought I would leap on the bandwagon and share my own views on this phenomenon that has men and women a like up in arms, going gaga and flocking to the cinemas!
 

First let's start with the film. The film itself? I didn't hate it. Of course being Oscar season it doesn't exactly fit in to the typical melodramas we have been saturated with and it was sort of a refreshing change of pace. The dialogue was cheesy, given it was taken directly from the book the majority of the time I really expected nothing but, the acting wasn't fantastic (I guess some of those scenes would have been pretty difficult to film so...solid effort I suppose) and the storyline itself is a basic Mills and Boon / Twilight crossover and so I'm not entirely sure where the success of this particular piece of smut came from but ho hum the public are mysterious creatures sometimes. If you are swithering about whether or not to see it, I wouldn't waste a tenner on it (if like me you have an Unlimited card go for it) as I do feel it is rather pricey. On a little side note I feel the cinemas have missed a trick here, give 50 Shades book owners a discount? Or free Ann Summers discount voucher with every ticket purchased? That's just the PR lady in me though I suppose.
 

With all of the comments of domestic violence circulating the blogosphere, internet and world given its popularity, I went in fully expecting to come out with my feminist hat on bemused at how such a violent film could be made in this day and age yet be so wildly popular with women in particular but it is here where we enter a rather grey area (HA!) The film and the book a like cover themselves incredibly well from revolving around an abusive relationship, and despite the naivety of the central female character I have to say that this is not a violent tale. Everything in the film is consensual, and when I say everything I mean EVERYTHING (in fact there was even an incredibly in depth contract read, reread and then agreed to) and it really comes down to a case of sexual experimentation, taste and character development, something we would never criticize people in the real world for (each to their own and all that jazz) As a feminist, I applaud the central character for being open minded enough to give everything a go and despite the overpowering and at times intense male presence in the film I think she held her own incredibly well, she ruled out everything she was uncomfortable with, did not run to his beck and call and was able to maintain her individual identity throughout the course of their relationship (brief I may add)

 

Even though there are sighs, hos and hums from the film critics and publics all over the world it appears this saga is here to stay (having signed on for another 2 films, and why not it's a money making machine?!) and I for one am excited to see the characters develop and delve ever deeper into the realms of female sexuality, experimentation and BDSM which as a nation we are quick to brush off and shy away from (I am also looking forward to seeing how much Ann Summers sales upsurge in!)
 

Until next time folks, feminism hat is well and truly on!

 

H.Elizabeth xx

Christmas at the Cinema | St Vincent Review

For those of you who were wondering, yes I am still very much a cinema geek dating back to my 'cinephile' post a little while back I can tell you with great certainty that nothing has changed. In fact now that my life has a bit of routine in it since leaving university earlier this year I'm a more active cinema goer than ever, and my unlimited card has certainly been through the ringer these past few weeks with the latest in Christmas releases, from Paddington and Horrible Bosses 2 to the Hobbit and the Hunger Games my cinema life has never seen so much action!

But today I wanted to tell you about an unexpected gem that I suspect may go overlooked by many a cinema goer in the coming weeks and just as a word of recommendation from me I highly suggest you see Bill Murray's latest acting endeavour 'St Vincent' 

St Vincent Movie Poster 2014

Now I know what a lot of you will be thinking, Bill Murray is often viewed as a love him or hate him kind of actor and well I love him and my mother hates him, but in this film I can't imagine anybody not being able to muster at least a smirk at his comedic performance as inappropriate aging childminder Vincent!

I will try not to give too much of the story away but in the opening scenes we are introduced to the crass, elderly veteran Vincent de Van Nuys (Bill Murray) who lives out his days drinking hard liquor, wasting his money at the race tracks and generally making others around him a bit miserable. Of course when introduced to his new neighbours, Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) and her 12 year old son Oliver (Jadeb Lieberher), is nothing but his typical grumpy self. Following unexpected difficulties at school, Oliver finds himself in the care of Vincent after an opportunity to squeeze some cash from single mother Maggie presents itself.

Vincent and Oliver go on to share in all kinds of debauchery and archaic experiences including a few stints at the race track, broken noses and of course Olivers introduction to Daka (Naomi Watts), a 'lady of the night' Throughout the course of the film Vincent and Oliver forge an unlikely friendship which is both heartwarming and endearing to witness. The film has scenes of laughter, love and heartbreak and  I would recommend it to anyone who would like to avoid the shiny shiny of the many blockbusters we have thrust in our faces these days in favour of a gem of a film.

Hopefully this encourages at least one of you to give the film a go, if you do go see it let me know or if this has convinced you to see it drop me a comment below! If this isn't up your street I also highly recommend Paddington, the final Hobbit movie or if it's still in of course do not miss The Imitation Game! Are there any films, cinema, DVD or television you've been loving lately, I always love to hear about new releases, be sure to leave a comment, come share them with me on Twitter or if you'd like to see more Granite City posts come find me on Bloglovin.

Happy watching until next time folks!

H.Elizabeth xx

Where is all of the 'Christmas Spirit?' | Christmas Shopping

It must be said, at this time of year I tend to have a love / hate relationship with shopping , well I say it's shopping but if I'm being totally honest it's Christmas shoppers. I apologise in advance for the unseasonably downer of a Christmas post but I'm afraid the world must be called out on their behaviour and so called 'Christmas cheer'  

I entered with high hopes, my mum had treated me to a slap up breakfast in town and the sight of the biggest and brightest decorations the shopping centres had to offer left me feeling incredibly full of festive cheer and I was incredibly ready and rearing to greet the days worth of shopping. And that's when it happened...

The not so subtle shoving, barging, pushing, lack of shopper etiquette as well as the complete and total abandonment of the much coveted Christmas spirit of the year and so the days events unfolded! If I could pinpoint one moment in the day I began to notice a difference I suppose I would say it all started with a tea set, beautiful, vintage and right up one of my friends/family members street the perfect gift....and did I mention it was also the very last one in store! Having picked it up, examined it for scratches, scathes and general scrappiness I decided, yes, this was the one, but all the while I felt a breath on my neck and a handbag nearly up my backside of another suitor for this tea set and upon discovering, much to her dismay, that I had claimed it as my own audibly sighed, mumbled profanities and shot a look in my direction which can only be described as 'bah humbug'....and that was only the beginning.

Throughout my Christmas journey I encountered similar acts of festive cheer and bah-humbugery of the highest order, such as the lady who decided to stop dead in the middle of the busiest street in town only to tut and titter when everyone maneuvered quickly around her or goodness forbid accidentally bump her handbag or perhaps the tale of the family who decided to use their push chair (child still inside) as a battering ram in order to fully dominate the tiny aisle space in BHS would be a more Christmassy tale. And lets not get started on Poundland (which may as well have a sign above the door which reads, 'Ye who enter here, abandon all hope) where I ditched all of my shopping in favour of sanity at having seen the queuing system, or lack thereof, a pet peeve of mine and the rest of the nation. Or perhaps the most interesting of all the elderly lady in Thorntons  who fully bashed, and made me fall onto the counter, in a bid to show her disdain for her lack of purchase, but not to worry she was quickly shut down by the cashier who came to my rescue as the bumper decided it was in fact my ass that was too big, as opposed to her manners being too few.

Much resembling THAT scene from much beloved comedy Christmas movie, 'Jingle All the Way' (the bit with the ball chasing) my hometown became a bloodbath of red tinsel, festive footwear and frivolous spending (that is the only way I can describe a woman piling handfuls upon handfuls of Christmas gift bags into her paws!)

So today ladies and gentleman I ask, why at the 'most wonderful time of the year', the time we ought to be the kindest, warmest and cheeriest we can be (it is indeed an unrealistic expectation I know) do we behave like animals, abandon all sense of moral right and wrong and simply stress one another out!? I myself have noticed that since the Black Friday madness those of us not living under a rock were forced to endure, shopping and the entire experience has refused to go back to normality and the sales aren't even on any more!

In fact in order to de-stress, cool off, let off some steam and generally calm down my mum and I found ourselves trailing a MILLION bags into the cinema with us to see Paddington, and I tell you it worked wonders, watching a fuzzy wee bear navigate London made Aberdeen and the shoppers look a little bit better.

Everything about the entire Christmas shopping experience this year has forced me to reevaluate the way in which I shop, the next time I shall not be going out armed with a fluffy parka and eyes full of hope, instead my weapon of choice will be steel capped boots and a hard visor! 

As I said I do apologise for the cynical Christmas post but I just wondered if everyone elses Christmas shopping experiences have been similar to mine this year? Or is it perhaps just me? (I really hope not) I would love to hear your Christmas shopping experiences from this year or perhaps you have a funny Black Friday story to share! Either way leave them in the comments below, come share them with me on Twitter or if you'd like to hear more of my Granite City rants be sure to follow me on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, I'll be here catching up with a little zen!

H.Elizabeth x

October Wishlist | Autumnal Wants

It has been a wee while since I've done a post like this, but I suppose it's because I've had far more interesting things to blog about as of late. But alas we are back, and here are my top picks, wants, wishes and lust after list items for this Autumnal month.

#1 A statement coat

I've been seeing a lot of reds, corals and forest greens for Autumn this year and I have recently endeavoured to get away from dull dark clothing colours and add a pop of colour to my Autumn/Winter wardrobe and what better way to do that than with a siren red jacket?!

#2 A new hair do (No pic  since I don't know what I want)

As much as I do love my strawberry blonde Summer locks, they appear out of place and quite lack lustre in the Autmnal weather we've been having (any excuse for a good hair change) so I've been dreaming of an Auburny / Red to see my head through the cold Winter months. Stay tuned for my eventual big reveal!

#3 Maleficent on DVD and in my life!

This film, I need in my life. I saw it in the cinema 3 times and with the date of October 20th being the release date and pending I'm getting myself awfully hyped up! Anyone else?

#4 Heated Rollers

And my quest for voluminous locks continues. Yes I'm still loving a good bouffant hair do and with my velcro rollers working wonders for special occassions and evenings out, I can only imagine what I may achieve with heated rollers.

#5 A pair of good (bonus for sensible) shoes

Walking to work everyday is so good, I get woken up on the way to work, get some good exercise going but the only things that aren't thanking me are my feet! Sometimes I just don't want to have to change shoes arriving at work so I just need a good pair of sensible yet not scary shoes to walk daily in, is that really too much to ask!?

So there you have it, my Autumnal wishlist, if there is anything on here you can potentially help me out with finding for example my lusty statement coat to see me through Winter storms and rain, drop me a comment below, Tweet it at me on Twitter or if you'd just like to keep up and see more of me come find me on Bloglovin.

Until next time, see you folks!

H.Elizabeth x

Cinema Outings | February, March 2014

Hello guys, today I thought I would share some of my monthly cinema outings with you guys since you already know how much of a cinema geek I am.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to go to the cinema as much as I would have wanted this past month because of coursework, wedding planning amongst other personal activities, so I'm afraid we are just going to have to make do with the main four I have seen this month.

Wolf of Wall Street

Let's start strong with the widely renowned 'Wolf of Wall Street' A twisted true story of the corruption that lives at the top of the career pedestal that is Wall Street. Following in the footsteps of 80's classic 'Wall Street' starring Michael Douglas, 'Wolf of Wall Street' shocks and awes with tales of  greed and excess from the biographical works of Jordan Belfort. I am a great lover of tales of money, excess and grandeur and the air of reality surrounding the 'Wolf of Wall Street' made this cinema treat that much sweeter. As I said much like the beloved 'Wall Street' but with more boobs.
Wolf of Wall Street Trailer

Lego Movie

I went in with high hopes, I really did but something didn't quite click for myself and the Lego Movie. Perhaps it's because of THAT song I just couldn't get out of my head, the shaky plot line or the potential that I feel was just wasted, unfortunately this will not be at the top of my 'to buy' list.
Lego Movie Trailer

The Book Theif

A very pleasant surprise came to me in the form of the cinematic adaptation of 'The Book Theif' seeing yet another WWII film release in the cinema made me want to snooze, but with some swaying my mother persuaded me to watch it with her and thank goodness I did. From the off there are tears, tension and terror, as we journey through newly occupied Nazi Germany through the eyes of a young girl and her family.
The Book Theif Trailer

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Reminiscent in parts of good old Monty Python skits The Grand Budapest Hotel is a comical and visual feast not to be missed by fans of Wes Anderson. Even if not to go for the storyline, the visuals are so perfectly placed offering the audience a delicious confection images and Ralph Fiennes dazzles as the camp and witty Mr Gustave H, whose performance is good enough to go see the movie alone, a far cry from his renowned performance as Voldemort that's for sure!

The Grand Budapest Hotel Trailer

Of the four my favourite is absolutely 'The Wolf of Wall Street' in fact I loved it so much so I have even went and bought the full autobiographical work of Jordan Belfort.

Are there any films you've been loving lately, cinema, DVD or TV, I'd love to hear your thoughts, drop a comment below come chat on Twitter or if you'd like to keep up to date with the latest posts on Granite City Girl come follow me on Bloglovin

H. Elizabeth

Quirks of a Cinephile

Today I'm going to reveal something a few of you don't know about me, I am a major Cinephile.

A 'Cinephile' for those who don't know is someone with an intense interest in cinema and film, I personally have gone to the cinema every week, at least once a week since I was about 5 or 6 years old. It's a passion I have shared with my parents  for years, with the interest actually stemming from their...encouragement (can it be called that?)

Those who know me often have to suffer through those Cinephilic quirks which have came to define my personality and enhance my...qualities as a person, here is a taster of what it can be like as a friend of a Cinephile:

#1. First of all as a cinema fanatic and being an avid viewer of many many films over the years, I have a movie reference for pretty much everything, discussing McDonalds will remind me of Pulp Fiction and even my shopping style is reminiscent of scenes from Confessions of a Shopaholic. So if you ever are in a situation where you meet me, you can guarantee I'll have a movie reference for that exact moment.

#2. Watching a film with me can literally take hours and hours if you're a chatterbox, that film will be paused and rewound more times than Leo DiCaprio has cried on screen ever!

#3. I remember life milestones by the film that was released that year, for example the year I met my first boyfriend was the year I went to see Juno in Vue Cinema (significant as it isn't my regular cinema) and the day I was accepted into my college course, I went to see Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, a surprisingly handy way to remember my life!

#4. Cinema is my temple of worship, many of my pet peeves were born in the cinema, loud crunchers, erratic movements and misuse of the 'silent' phone option being a few. You need to be a truly special person to achieve cinema-going status with this Cinephile!

#5. Not only am I a Cinephile, I am an analytic Cinephile, meaning that when I see a movie I spend days deconstructing the plot and searching for plot holes to determine whether or not I shall ever watch it again (Iron Man 3 is a big no no unfortunately)

#6. My house is full of film related memorabilia, mainly Star Wars and Avengers related, one of my favourite websites for this is called Sideshow Collectibles which I recommend for any film fans looking to add some character to their homes (pun intended)

#7. My favourite films are often related to consumerism, greed and excess, one of the most recent cinematic wins I have witnessed from this category is, 'The Wolf Of Wall Street' and 2013's 'Filth' as well as recent indie flick, 'The Bling Ring'

#8. A film debate with me can turn very nasty very quickly.. you were warned..

#9. I have had a Cineworld Unlimited card since they were released originally as Virgin cinemas (I think)

#10. And lastly on my Cinephile quirk list, a wee bit more personally, I have collected every cinema ticket stub I have been able to for the past 10+ years.....

Now you have seen into my quirky mind and read about one of my greatest loved past times, I hope this doesn't send you running! As always all comments are appreciated, it'd be nice to hear from some fellow Cinephiles, or I'd love to hear about your own quirks?

(a couple of the oldest in my collection)


H.Elizabeth