What's on My Mind: R and J Edition

So I watched the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet again last night ( Shakespeare and Milk Duds...life is good! :-) ) and it made me SUUUUUPPPEER excited for the NEW R and J that is supposed to be released sometime this year, maybe next year. Did you know there was going to be a new one? Yup, there is and it's about time. It's been 15 or 16 years since the last film version.

Hailee Steinfeld of True Grit fame is playing Juliet which seems like a good choice to me. She's the right age and I thought she looked like Olivia Hussey even before I heard the new movie was coming out. Don't you think so?

Douglas Booth is playing Romeo. I've never seen him and anything but it looks like he will fit the part.

I read that it's going to be a classic version which is awesome because it's been a really long time since the last one. I can't even begin to describe to you how excited I am about this!!! I definitely wasn't around in 1968 and I was only 3 in 1996 so this will be the first movie version of R and J that I will be able to see in the theatre. That's so cool!

One of the things I'm most curious about is how much of the original play they will use. For example the infamous balcony scene.

Balcony scene in the 1968 Romeo and Juliet



Balcony scene in the 1996 Romeo and Juliet

They are obviously different. But even though the 1996 version uses more of the original scene, neither of them uses the scene in it's entirety. Will the newest version? And there's other scenes in the play that are skipped altogether in both versions. Will they be used?

Guess we'll have to wait and see...

P.S How do you like the new layout? I'll be changing according to my mood. :-)



Romeo and Juliet: 1968 vs 1996

The best part of having a blog is getting to write about whatever your little heart desires. Thus this post.:-)

The last couple days I have been obessing over R and J and watching both the 1968 and 1996 movies  again...and  again. So I thought this would be a good time to review them in a serious and studious fashion. Yeah right! I'm totally using this post as an excuse to gush.

First up.......

1968

I completely,totally and utterly(enough adverbs? lol) adore this version! It's pretty much the definitive version of Romeo and Juliet. When most people (myself included) think of Romeo and Juliet, they think of Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting. They were pretty much perfect together. Here's the break down:

Juliet: Olivia Hussey was only 15 when she played Juliet. I think her age had a lot to do with why her performance was so great. She gave Juliet the perfect mix of innocence and determination.

Romeo: Leonard Whiting was 17 when he played Romeo.  He pretty much IS Romeo, which is no small feat. Good looking, English,  Shakespeare...what else do you need? Except for maybe a balcony.

Script: Despite being the quintessential classic version, large chunks of the play are missing, which is the only problem I have with this version. Except for Olivia Hussey's laugh, which gets a tad grating after awhile.:-)

Overall: Well, you already know what I think. The acting is great, although a bit over dramatic at times. But that can be easily forgiven, it IS Shakespeare. The music and costumes are beautiful. This version makes a 500 year old play seem fresh even if the movie itself is almost 50 years old.  A masterpiece.

1996

I'm not gonna lie. When my English teacher first showed us clips of this version I hated it about as much as I loved the 1968 version. And there are still things that bug me about it. But when I let go of my bias and really watched it I started to love it. Come on, it's Shakespeare AND Leonardo DiCaprio!!!

Setting: This is definitely something I need to talk about. The modern setting is something that myself and others definitely had issues with at first. It just seems so wrong! But when you think about it Verona Beach isn't really like any modern day place. It's more like a fictional place, which makes makes this whole let's-change-the time-period thing easier to accept. And it's so colourful it's hard not to get caught up.

Juliet: Claire Danes does a really good job of making Juliet seem modern and classic at the same time. She sounds very natural which is very impressive because it's so easy to over-act when it comes to Shakespeare. I love that she sounds like she talks like that all the time. She captures the fun and the cautious sides of Juliet.

Romeo: It's Leonardo DiCaprio. Need I say more? :-) He does an amazing job showing that Romeo is multifaceted guy who can sprout poetry to the love of his life and then go josh around with his friends. And he's gorgeous, which helps. lol.

Script: Less of the original play is missing in this version, with a few exceptions, such as Juliet's final line (O happy dagger...).

Overall:  You have to admit this version is pretty great even if there are a few things that bother me, as I mentioned. I can't watch the first 10 minutes because it's so jarring. I always skip to where we first meet Romeo. And I know it makes more sense in this case, but why did they have to substitute a gun for dagger in the final scene? But I guess I'll let to slip because that scene is so moving, despite the changes.

And that pretty much sums up both movies. Romeo and Juliet is always moving no matter which version your watching.

Confessions of a Cosmetics Junkie :-)

Bad things can happen when you have too much time on your hands. Some people play one too many rounds of Guitar Hero by themselves( guilty of that) or play a ridiculous amount of Angry Birds( that too! :-) ). In the past few months I have also become a little addicted to make-up.

It all really started when I graduated high school and suddenly didn't have to get up at 6:30 in the morning. It's really amazing what happens when you don't have to get up that early. I suddenly found that I actually had time to put in to what make-up I'm putting on my face. It's so much more fun when your not in a rush! I'm not a very artistic person. My drawing ability begins and ends with a stick person. But I've always been pretty good at putting colours together, so applying make-up gives me a chance to use my skills without actually having to draw something first. How cool is that?

But I think I might have a problem because the more I look at magazines and try new looks, the more cosmetics I buy. So I figured I would put this to good use and post a little review or something whenever I get something new.

I actually got quite a few things this week:
1.Hard Candy Walk the Line Liquid Eye Liner in Turqouise

I love this stuff! I'm a little obsessed with liquid eyeliner in the first place so maybe I'm a little biased.:-) It's really easy to put on. I have another liquid liner that is a pain to put on because the brush is so small but this one is really nice. The colour is really great too and makes a really cool cat eye. PLUS it was only $6!





2. Rimmel London Bush in Pink Sugar

This is a really nice colour, but pretty light. Lasts all day, which is always a plus, especially for a blush. I'm not gonna lie- I mostly bought it for the crown logo. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging.

3. Covergirl Blast Flipstick in Cheeky

This was my big splurge ( it was $9.99). You really get two lipsticks, though.  I really like both the colours and how you can mix them up. It also lasted for a really long time, which is awesome. It smells a little strong, but that's about the only downside.

4. NYC Lipstain in Forever Fiesta and Never Ending Nude

I loooooove lipstain! This one is really nice. I really like the forever fiesta colour(fourth from the left). It last FOREVER!

And it doesn't feel sticky like lip gloss. It's even a good price! The only thing is it's a little dried out so I hope it doesn't die.

Well, Hello There!

Hi! Haven't seen you in awhile.Lol. I'm really bored today, so I was flipping through my favourites list and what should I see but the link to this blog, which has been sadly neglected over the last couple of months. I'm under no illusions that  anyone is actually reading this thing, but it's been a shamefully long time since I've written anything so I might get back into the habit of posting random stuff here occasionally.

Hmmmm... what should I ramble about today? I finished reading a biography about the Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge yesterday, so now I'm just about DYING to go back to London.(Oh yeah, did I mention I've been to Europe since I wrote last?:-) ) Winter in Canada can be the most dreary thing imaginable.  Anywho the book was really good. Reading something that takes place somewhere you have actually been to is so cool.
Anyway I'll write again when I actually have something to SAY!
Ta for now!

Help, I Need Somebody!

I'm sooooo excited! A few weeks ago, I read awesome book called The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It's was seriously amazing! And guess what? Yesterday I found out it's being made into a movie!

The basic plot is about two black women, Aibileen and Minnie and a young white girl nick named Skeeter. It's 1962 in Jackson, Mississippi and both Abileen and Minnie are servants in white households, raising other people's children and doing their cooking. Skeeter has just graduated from college and has come home to live. Skeeter is getting fed up with life at home. She wants to be a writer but her mother doesn't think writing is an appropriate profession for a well brought up girl.

Skeeter was raised by a black housekeeper named Constantine. Not long ago Constantine disappeared and Skeeter desperately wants to find out about her. So Skeeter talks to Aibileen, who works for her friend Hilly. As she does this she slowly starts to realize what life is like for a black person living in Jackson during the Civil Rights movement.

Skeeter knows she has to do something to help. So she convinces Aibileen to let Skeeter  interview her for a book. Word spreads and eventually Skeeter interviews all of Aibileen's friends who work in white homes, including Minnie. They call the finished book Help.

You might think this story( Civil Rights in the 60's) has been told over and over and over again. And it has. But never like this. Just trust me on this. The Help is incredibly moving. It brings up things I had never thought of before. I never really thought about what it would be like to raise a child, to love them and have them love you. And suddenly they realize your different because of the colour of your skin and suddenly they think less of you. I never thought about how hard it would be to see that child's parents ignore them, to see that child hurting and you can't do anything about because your "just hired help". I can't imagine how awful that would be.

But don't get me wrong, this book isn't all serious. There are some really hilarious parts too. The Help is just an all around great book.

I can't wait to see the movie! It looks great! Take a look at this trailer:

The Help was rejected by 60 different publishing companies before it was finally accepted. Meanwhile, a friend of the author's decided to make it into a screen play. Now the book is a number 1 New York Times bestseller and the screen play is being made into a movie. Thank goodness because this is a really great book!

Jackie O

“Even though people may be well known, they hold in their hearts the emotions of a simple person for the moments that are the most important of those we know on earth: birth, marriage and death.”
                     -Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Ever since I watched The Kennedy's series on the History channel, I wanted to learn more about the Kennedy family. I especially found Jackie Kennedy interesting. So I read a book called America's Queen: The Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis by Sarah Bradford.

To be honest, I didn't like the writing all that much, but I found Jackie's life fascinating.
She was born on July 28 1929. She led an extraordinary life full of extreme joy and extreme grief. Jackie brought something new and glamorous to the White House when her husband, John F. Kennedy, became president on November 8 1960. She even went as far as to start the White House restoration project, forever leaving her mark.

In addition to this Jackie became a fashion icon, inspiring countless magazine articles. Even today her name goes hand in hand with good fashion sense. Pill box hats were her trade mark, as well as her bouffant hairstyle.

Jackie was an extremely complex person, a fact that all those close to her were well aware of. She enjoyed attention, but also highly valued privacy. This made her relationship with the press rocky to say the least. She was a very reserved and well mannered person, which made some people believe that she was snobby but she also had a great sense of humour.

Above all, Jackie was tough. She endured the death of two children; the assassination of her first husband as well as his brother Bobby, who she was very close to;  and a whole string of other tragedies. Not to mention JFK's almost constant affairs and the pressure of being First Lady. And she did all of this with elegance and grace. That's what I must admire about her.

Jackie died before her time, on May 19 1994.

Jackie was loved not as the wife of the president, but as herself.

 

Royal Wedding!!!!!

I have heard a lot of different opinions about last weeks royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Personally, I think it was great! I was one of those who got up at 5'oclock in the morning to watch it all. I even slept in front of the TV. And I stayed there all day long.

A lot of people have been pretty cynical about the whole thing. I've heard a lot of harping about how stupid people think it is. Well, I think that attitude is stupid! How often do we hear about news that is genuinely happy? William and Kate seem very happy and very in love and there is nothing wrong with celebrating it? Any accusations that they don't have a chance after what happened to William's parents are stupid. They are different people under different circumstances.

My favourite part was when Kate was coming down the aisle and Harry turned and whispered "wait until you see her!" to his brother. I also liked the carriage ride to Buckingham Palace.I liked every thing!

Truly a historic and happy day!