The Curve of Forgotten Things ♥

Elle Fanning is definitely becoming one of my favorite rising starlets! She is the little sister of Dakota Fanning, whom I also adore, an up-and-coming actress, and has already started to turn heads within the fashion industry as Rodarte's latest muse. All this at only 12 years old!

The Curve of forgotten Things is a short film showcasing Rodarte's Spring 2011 collection, directed by Todd Cole with music by Deerhunter. Elle's performance is playful and curious, set in a mysterious house that I think gives off a bit of a 70's vibe (which is on trend at the moment). The whole film is softly lit and has a somewhat mysterious atmosphere, which sets off the clothes beautifully. Overall, I think that it is a lovely way to conceptualise and bring to life a fashion collection, and it is definitely worth a watch if you are interested in arty/indie films ♥

ROSE BYRNE ♥

We love Rose Byrne- she's got beautiful hair, seems to appear in all the best films and is an amazing actress ♥ In I Capture The Castle she plays Rose, where she looks for love to escape her poor existence at what would have been a fairytale castle in the english countryside. Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette sees her with rose red hair, her tiny frame adorned with decadent gowns of emerald as she brings to life the duchess de Polignac. Both films are pretty and tragic and Byrne plays her roles brilliantly. These are two of my favourites, I have yet to watch Adam but I loved her in Sunshine and 28 Weeks Later. Her films set to be released so far this year are Bridesmaids and X-Men: First Class.

Ponyo ♥

Ponyo is the latest magical creation from Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli. You can see that inspiration has been taken from Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale The Little Mermaid, as it is about a young boy Sosuke who rescues a fish, befriends her and names her Ponyo. However, Ponyo's father is a sea wizard and in desperation uses his magic to bring her back. When back under the sea Ponyo, being a stubborn little goldfish, steals some of her father's magic to become human, and escapes back to Sosuke, where together they embark on a heart-warming journey of friendship.

I have been a fan of Studio Ghibli films for a long, long time, and Ponyo did not disappoint. It has a beautiful and serene aesthetic like that of My Neighbor Totoro, and the bittersweetness of Kiki's Delivery Service. The relationship between main characters Ponyo and Sosuke, voiced by Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas, is just adorable. Cate Blanchett and Liam Neeson also lend their voices to the film as the magical parents of Ponyo ♥

Zooey in Oz ♥

So carrying on with all things Oz, after seeing Wicked you could say I have been slightly addicted to watching other Wizard of Oz-style films. I'm the type of person who goes through certain phases of what I want to watch, and once I'm into a particular genre that becomes the priority when I come to put something on. I first came across Tin Man about 2 years ago when I was at Uni, and although it looked like a very typical 'Sci Fi' programme, I was still drawn to it as it starred the one and only Zooey Deschanel, and it looked pretty! I finally found it in a WHSmiths for £10, and then took it home that weekend to watch with my sister, and I was not disappointed by it at all! Tin Man has a really good take on the original story and the actors are really good. The sets and costumes are great, and overall the style is beautiful, like a run down, edgier version of the original. The only thing about it that I found a shame was you can tell that with a bigger budget the effects could have been better, but don't let that put you off because they did an amazing job with what they had ♥

Black Swan

About this time last last year I came across Black Swan on the internet movie database website. Obviously back then it was in production and little was known about it, but I came across it whilst searching what films my favourite actors were working on, and it appeared on Natalie Portman's profile. I confess I was desperately trying find a reason to not have to go back to working on my dissertation, so I was trawling through the message boards and found a script for Black Swan, and read the whole thing that night (yes I'm ashamed of myself because looking at film spoilers is not really my thing). But since then I was extremely excited for this film as I knew it was going to be amazing and very much talked about! Also, two of my favourite designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy, known as Rodarte, worked on the beautiful costumes for this film. Believe me they are just stunning, and fashion fans will very much appreciate this aspect of the film, especially the scenes when Swan Lake is performed ♥

Natalie plays ballet dancer Nina Sayers, who works for a prestigious New York ballet company that are putting on a production of Swan Lake. As Nina is central to the film, you can't help but want her to get the lead Swan Queen role she so desires, you want her to be the best and prove to everyone that she can play both the White Swan and the Black Swan. You sympathise with Nina and can see how passionate she is, and how hard she trains for the role. But although Nina is perfect for the innocent White Swan, her tutor does not believe that she can connect with the role of the Black Swan and seems to prefer dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) for Nina's alternate. As the film develops you start to question at what cost is Nina paying to discover her dark side to become perfect for the part? Black Swan is not easy viewing, and it definitely challenges you psychologically, but it is an extremely beautiful and enticing film. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis have amazing on-screen chemistry, which leaves you confused throughout, are they friends or enemies? Don't be fooled by thinking that this is a film about ballet; it is a psychological thriller that is set in the beautiful and mysterious ballet world.

Tangled ♥

Tangled is incredible! This is the first princess film to be released by Disney since Princess and the Frog which wasn't that long ago however this one marries the traditional drawn style of Disney classics with the depth, detail and realism of digitally worked films like Up and Toy Story.
At first I thought oh no- we had the beautiful hand drawn elements that were so masterfully done in The Princess and the Frog and I was afraid that after seeing posters and teaser trailer snippets on my Beauty and the Beast blu ray that it wouldn't have the charm that classics like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast have- but I was wrong!

It has really encapsulated the charm and nostalgia that those late 80's, early 90's Disney movies had but really brought it bang up to date with this feisty, exciting new take on the Rapunzel fairytale. The film is best seen in 3D because of the detail- 9I mean Rapunzel's hair is absolutely amazing, the movement of it and the way every golden strand catches the light left me awestruck)- and fast pace of the story- (it is an adventure after all) , however I've only seen it in 2D because I chicken out of seeing anything in 3D.

I'll admit I didn't know the story of Rapunzel that well, but what I did know was how much the fairytale shocked me and the cruelness and deception of keeping this lovely innocent princess locked in a tower- I mean at least Maleficent made her thoughts known at the birth of Princess Aurora and she warned them all what was coming. In this fairytale there are no kind fairies to step in and handle the evil going on! In Tangled the princess Rapunzel has to find her own way to fight the manipulative witch that has kept her locked away and discover the world for the first time. She's helped along the way by notorious thief Flynn Rider, her adorable chameleon and a noble steed who is one step ahead of everyone.

I won't say too much more because I'd love for everyone to go and see it and make the most of this amazing piece of film! It made me feel like I was little again and I love that feeling of nostalgia ♥

Totally Wicked ♥

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I had plans to go down to London for my birthday to see Wicked, go shopping on Oxford street and to see my lovely best friend and fellow blogger, Natasha. I don't want to go on too much about it all but it was just a perfect weekend; I have always loved going down to see shows on the West End whether it be something fun like Fame, or something more serious and non-musical like Equus. Anyway, as I mentioned previously, Wicked has been a show I have wanted to see for a long, long time. I can tell you that it did not disappoint. If anything it went past my high expectations of it, and left me wanting desperately to go back and see it again. I actually went to see it with my boyfriend Ben, who was not a musical theatre fan at all and did not particularly like the idea of going (when we first got tickets I had to promise to balance out the trip with going to the Natural History Museum and the Oxford street Topman). However, during the interval he turned round to me and told me how amazed he was and that when he got home he was going to learn to play Defying Gravity on his guitar. After the show he agreed that he would be more than happy to see it again. I also bought most of the merchandise; the soundtrack which I love singing along to (when no one is around to listen), the Grimmerie book all about the show, the programme, the Grimmerie silver charm, and I am currently waiting for Amazon to deliver the novel to me. Total. Wicked. Mania.

I mentioned before that I was particularly excited to see Lee Mead, who in the show plays Fiyero. But as amazing as Lee was, the show was totally owned by Rachel Tucker and Louise Dearman who play Elphaba and Galinda (later known as Glinda the Good). The chemistry between the two, who start as rivals and become good friends, was just amazing. Their performances were outstanding! Louise especially was hilarious and played her role brilliantly, and Rachel's voice was just beautiful, she sings so passionately and defiantly! Overall, it is a beautiful show, the cast, the costumes and sets, the music, everything about it is just wonderful, I really cant praise it enough. And as for the story of it, well, that is something I really can't give away. Let me just say that if you are a fan of the Wizard of Oz, then you will love Wicked as it is sort of a prequel to Dorothy's adventure. Please don't ruin it for yourselves by reading into it, just go along and let yourself be amazed ♥

Rachel Tucker as Elphaba

Louise Dearman as Galinda

Lee Mead as Fiyero

Rachel Tucker and Lee Mead performing 'As Long As You're Mine'