The Oscars pt. 2

Hello friends!

Part two of my Oscar’s post is here. So, without further ado, here are my last two ”reviews”

BIRDMAN

Birdman is the story of a former screen-superhero actor, attempting to fight his inner battles and gain relevance again by Directing and starring in a book-to-play adaption on Broadway.

And let me tell you, it is amazing.

As the opening night of the play What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, a single camera follows each character around the narrow corridors, dressing rooms, stage, and the city surrounds of Broadway’s St. James Theatre. This is orchestrated in such a way that the entire movie looks like one continuous ‘long shot’. Can we just appreciate that for a moment, please? Because there is nothing I love more than cinematography. Just, heart eyes everywhere!  Love, love, LOVE. The jazzy drums score sounds like one that would accompany a magic show, as if the whole film is a magic trick (which it so is. Movie magic, people!)

While I could go on scene by scene about the editing of the film, this is definitely also an Actors Film. The characters are so eclectic but then again, fit together so well, including Michael Keaton as ageing actor Riggan Thomas, Emma Stone as his recently rehabilitated daughter, Naomi Watts as a first time Broadway actress, Edward Norton as arrogant method actor Mike Shiner and Zach Galafanakis as Riggan’s best friend, lawyer and Producer of the show, his serious and professional character one I haven’t seen with Galifiankis before and my oh my is it welcomed.

In short, the film is amazing and everyone should see it (and don’t worry, you’re supposed to be leaving the cinema thinking “What in the world did I just watch?” just go with it.)

100% deserves the Best Picture nom (every nomination, actually), BUT, I don’t see it winning Best Picture. Why? Because it doesn’t seem like a film The Academy would choose (because The Academy have a Type. Just look at the winners of the past 5 years. But man, it would be amazing if it did.

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

Everyone knows Stephen Hawking as a great scientific mind, one of the smartest people in the world, and also know that he has a motor neuron disease. However, who was Stephen Hawking before he became the man he is today, and how was his journey there? Little know about his first wife, Jane, and the fact that Stephen was told he only had 2 years to live.

This film is beautiful, and it left me with a whole lot of emotion. The score from Johann Johannsson is absolutely gorgeous. But above all, it is important to note the acting ability of Felicity Jones (Jane Wilde Hawking) and Eddie Redmayne (Stephen Hawking). Firstly, Felicity Jones is superb as Jane. I’m not sure how to describe it, but you’re just either a. going to have to take my word for it or b. go see the movie, because she was nominated for a Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA AND Oscar for Best Actress, so obviously, amazing. (It has been a couple of weeks since I’ve seen this and I didn’t take notes afterwards, so I’m sorry).

And of course, there is the delightful and charming Eddie Redmayne with the challenging role of Hawking himself. Leading up to seeing the movie, I had read many interviews with Redmayne about the role and what he did to prepare. And let me tell you, this man read every book, memories ever little fact about Hawking, and employed various movement coaches and other professionals to fully replicate the deterioration of his mobility. The effort and skill is evident in the movie and it is astounding! Particularly at the end of the film, where Hawking is at the stage we are all familiar with in his chair and automatic voice (which is Stephen Hawking’s ACTUAL, patented voice. The voice is copyrighted to Stephen Hawking, but after watching the film himself, Hawking granted the use of it to them. Amazing stuff, right?), Redmayne is able to convey such emotion in a face that can hardly move except for his eyes and cheek. HOW DOES HE DO IT? Or am I just biased? Apparently I’m not, since he has already won the Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA for the performance. It will definitely not be surprising if he wins the Oscar, too.

(Disclaimer: We do not own the images used in this post)

BUT CLAIRE, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL WIN?

Good question! And let me level with you, I’m hardly an expert in these things, nor am I The Academy (I’m not an old white male, OH SNAP! Ok but seriously, the injustice of The Academy voting alone is a serious issue that needs to be called to attention), so this is just what I think from observation of past winners and my own opinion.

My favourites, and the ones I really want to win Best Picture are Birdman and The Theory of Everything (see above), just because both were spectacular. 

BUT, to be honest, I wouldn’t mind if any of the films I saw won. They are all amazing, hence the nomination in the first place. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Boyhood or American Sniper won. Why? Boyhood has been talked about by so many and it’s impressive 12 year long process is definitely admirable. It also won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama. And American Sniper just seems like, from the sound and looks of it (again, I haven’t seen it) such an Oscar movie. It is America, after all. That being said, there is the whole "fake baby" thing...

While I have enjoyed these movies nominated for Best Picture, and think they definitely deserve the nomination, if not win, I am a little disappointed by the lack of female representation. In all the films, a male is the lead character. In fact, if there wasn't the actual Best Female awards, the entire awards would be uncomfortably and unjustly a sausage fest. Although a female did direct Selma, (you go, Ava DuVernay, you do your thing)!

The Academy can nominate up to 10 films for Best Picture (and they have in the past). this year there were only 8, so female-led films such as Wild, Still Alice, or even Gone Girl could have easily filled those spots. The leads in these films are all nominated for acting awards (Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Moore and Rosamund Pike), so good luck to you, ladies! You all deserve it <3

But this is all neither here nor there ;)

THE ACADEMY AWARDS is on tomorrow, Monday the 23^rd and will be aired free-to-air on Chanel 9 at 12:30pm and will be repeated on GEM at 8:30pm.

Stay gold!

Claire x

Oscar Watch 2k15 | Claire's Thoughts and Picks

Hello friends!

So, as we have mentioned previously, we take the Oscar's very seriously, and leading up to the awards show Grace and I have attempted to see as many of the Best Picture nominations as we can. AND THE AWARDS IS ON MONDAY!!! How thrilling. 

As a reminder, these are the films nominated for Best Picture:

- Whiplash

- Birdman

- American Sniper

- Grand Budapest Hotel

- Selma

- The Imitation Game

- Boyhood

- The Theory of Everything

Grace and I have been able to see 5 out of the 8 nominated films. This is due to a. time (Boyhood goes for 3 hours?) b. money (darn you cinema prices!) and c. the American Sniper trailer makes us uncomfortable, so we’ll probably watch it at some point in the future, but we feel like we might find it confronting at the moment.

I don’t like to think of myself as a film critic, and often times I say that I do not wish to be a film critic, but who am I kidding? Everyone’s a critic. And besides, it’s hard not to be one when you love films as much as I do, and cannot help but spout off all your thoughts, likes and dislikes in a stream of consciousness as soon as you walk out of the cinema, all the way home. With that in mind, what will follow are my attempt at collating these thoughts into a formal review. Also, I only took notes on my phone directly after The Imitation Game so the rest are just off my memory (forgive the vagueness). 

Sound good? I hope you're all as excited as me.

THE IMITATION GAME

“Are you paying attention?”

The opening dialogue surrounds you in the darkened cinema and it feels like the speaker (the unmistakable Benedict Cumberbatch) is addressing you, the viewer, directly. Are you paying attention? Because you should be, the movie has started. The story has begun and in a few short hours, you will learn. This is The Imitation Game, and this is Alan Turing’s story.

The Imitation Game is a movie that needed to be made. The story of Alan Turing and his machine that cracked the seemingly unbreakable Nazi code Enigma in World War II is a story that many know in passing, and even then, this may be limited to history buffs, philosophy students (The Turing Test, anyone?), and perhaps even the older generations, who were around when the top secret information was released to the public, long after Turing’s death. By telling the story in film with stunning and well-known actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing and Keira Knightley (Both with spectacular performances. Knightley as Joan Clarke positively shines with strength, surrounded by a predominately male cast. You go Keira, we love you Keira), this true story has been re-vitalised.

This movie has something for everyone: It’s a WWII tale, a history lesson; it has suspense, a code to crack, a smart and independent woman, (love?), quick wit that will get anyone to laugh, and exposes the injustice that homosexuals once suffered (not that life is 100% perfect for them, even now). The movie is also filled with brilliant slices of film-work that will make any film fan freak out (The opening dialogue ALONE, which is actually a nugget for a later conversation. MOVIES!!!). The opening line “are you paying attention?” is a hint, for the film is told in non-linear form. Weaving in and out from “present day” where Turing is being questioned by police about his homosexuality, his childhood as a strange boy, struggling with his sexuality and brilliant mind and the core of the film, being recruited by the British Government for a top-secret mission to crack Enigma.

True-Story films and Human Struggle/Triumph films are a favourite of mine, and of The Academy’s (12 Years a Slave, Argo, The Kings Speech, just recently), so it's no surprise that it got the nomination. It is a brilliant movie, however, there is some part of me that just thinks some of the emotion in key scenes, such as when they crack the code, fell short. I cannot deny that there is some part in my mind that thinks the film lacked in the extra mile.

WHIPLASH

Where do you begin with Whiplash? It’s the movie that makes musicians either wish they practiced more or make them want to run screaming. I’m not sure which, yet.

Whiplash is a film about first year drumming student at a prestigious music conservatory, Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), and his desire to a. make it big and b. earn the respect of music conductor Terrence Fletcher in The Best (capitals are needed here) jazz band at the school. Fletcher (played by the intense JK Simmons) embodies the Take No Mercy mixed with Treat ‘Em Mean, Keep ‘Em Keen approach to conducting: that is, throwing chairs at drummer’s heads, threats and intimidation. So, you can understand why the film might make any musician run scared. Simmons’ control over his face, body and voice is phenomenal. How could one remain that angry yet controlled for such a long time?

This is an intense film.

That being said, while this film can be enjoyed by a variety of audiences, it’s definitely a film for musicians. Most of the action takes place in band rehearsal, and rarely is there a scene without a music book or music stand (Ah, memories!) Literal blood, sweat and tears goes into Teller’s performance.  And yes, he is doing his own drumming! (With the help of editing, of course. If anyone attempts those solos all in one, they might literally ruin themselves.)

The point to this review? Basically, it’s a very intense film. The jazz band and drum-focused score complements well with Birdman, if you were to do a double feature (like we did). I really enjoyed it, and it did make me think “Why did I never play my cello until my fingers or knee’s bled?” which is dangerous thinking. While I understand passion, please look after yourselves musicians! But I guess that’s just the power that movies have over you.

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Oh wow, I saw this movie the day it came out, last year. So, it has been a while. But basically, all you need to know is this: Grad Budapest Hotel is so obviously Wes Anderson it’s almost mock-able. BUT I LOVED IT. The performances by all in yet another outstanding ensemble cast were superb. The story of concierge Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes) and his Lobby boy, Zero (newcomer Tony Revolori), as they are on the run in light of the death of Budapest Hotel resident Madame D (Tilda Swinton) and a missing, valuable painting. It’s fun! It’s colourful! It’s entertaining! And of course, there are plenty of “from above” AND “centered shots”! (I highly recommend this mastercut)

With 9 nominations (matched only with Birdman) this is a high contender! Budapest and Birdman will be battling it out for most of the night, and let me assure you, I will be keeping score. See how many each win in my Oscars Recap next week!

Disclaimer: Graceful nor Claire own any of the images used in this post.

--

So there are three of "reviews", of sorts.

Keep an eye out on Sunday for the other reviews and find out my favourites to win.

THE ACADEMY AWARDS is on Monday the 23^rd (Sunday the 22^nd in the US, but time difference) and will be aired on Chanel 9 at 12:30pm and will be repeated on GEM at 8:30pm.

Until next time!

Claire x.

Back to Uni Haul | Second Year

 Welcome back!

Our second year of university begins in exactly two weeks! We are ready to go back and learn more about the subjects we are passionate about, (although we are sure that we will be counting down the days to mid-year break by week three). This is also exciting because it is an excuse for new stationery! And boy oh boy, do we love stationery shopping. It is something that we share with our Dad.

So let's get into this haul, shall we?

FIRST: Our Bags

CLAIRE

Firstly, the backpack. Isn't it the cutest? I'm such a 60s aesthetic girl and so the combination of the mustard with white polka-dots and brown side pockets is just me in a bag. It has heaps of room for my notebooks and readers, as well as a draw-string top under the flap. The two badges that I have are form the music theatre association tent at Clubs and Societies day last year in O-Week. They say 'I <3 Musicals' and 'Crew Are People Too' (because duh). I like to type my lecture notes, but our laptop (we have the same one.Twins!) is a massive 15 inches, so it won't fit in my backpack. Therefore: 2 bags are required for lecture days. This brown one we were eyeing off on Modcloth for MONTHS until Claire saw it at Colette one Boxing Day. It's the only bag I have that fits my laptop, but it's so classic! 

Backpack: Sportsgirl 2013 (Similar) | Laptop Case: Typo | Laptop Bag: Colette Hayman (Similar at Modcloth)

GRACE

How much I carry to Uni depends on each day, so I usually alternate my bag. I recently purchased my new backpack from Target. As my laptop is large a 15", I needed a bag big enough to carry it for the days that I may need to bring my computer. At only $30, it is the perfect cheaper option of the Herschel Little America backpack. Unlike Claire, I prefer to hand write all of my lecture notes, so sometimes my backpack is larger than necessary to carry around, so I like to use my black handbag from Colette Hayman. It is large enough to fit my lecture book, water bottle, snacks, purse and my keys.

Backpack: Piping Hot (Target) | Laptop Case: Typo | Handbag: Colette Hayman (similar)

SECOND: Our supplies

Colour coordination and organisation is key, hence different coloured pens, highlighters and sticky notes are key. The pens we use are the Papermate Inkjoy. We've been using them for a couple of years now and haven't gone back since. 

In our Arts degree, handing in a hard copy of your essays as well as online is very common, so having a stapler on hand is super helpful. And this one is so cute and pink! 

The notebooks are Claire's (one for each semester) and they have spaces for 4 different subjects in them. Since we only take 4 subjects a semester, it's perfect and means we only need to take one notebook to Uni. The black one is A4 and a hard cover (so fancy) for semester 2 and the smaller one is A5, which is perfect for tutorials. The cover says 'Crafter's Gonna Craft'. 

The 2015 Planner is also Claire's and was a gift form our friend Anna. It's also from Typo and super cute because the pages have a floral print border. Claire added a notebook elastic from Kikki-K to keep the planner closed and hold a gold and white polka dot pen, also from Kikki-K. Another post about how she uses her planner will come later (maybe.)

These are Grace's notebooks for the year! Four subject notebooks are so handy and better for organisation. I loved my Typo Campus notebook last year, however this year I wasn't that impressed with the covers. So, instead I decided to use the Marbig Colour Hide subject notebooks, which worked out to be cheaper than the Typo notebooks anyway. I love how bright these colours are! For tutorials, I usually write less, so I decided to opt for A5 notebooks. The spiral notebook is from Typo, and the other four I found in our Dad's stationery supply. The covers were not that interesting, so I contacted them in pink glitter! In case you haven't noticed, I am all about the presentation when it comes to school supplies.

And that's it! How do you like to take notes? What's your favourite pen to use? Trust us, if it's about stationary, we want to know.

Until next time, 

Grace and Claire.

The Moving Out Mix

What is hip-hop-happening, party people?
(I don't know what that is, but let's just roll with it, 'kay?)

We are currently visiting our parents home, and today Claire started packing up her bedroom to officially move out of home, like a lot of people that may be starting Uni in the next few weeks and moving to the big city like we did a year ago. 

Despite the fact that I have already officially moved out, the posters and photos on my wardrobe doors were still hanging up. I felt that it was time that they finally came down, so that is what I did this morning. Down went the Glee posters and the photos of our family holiday to Nelson's Bay when we were in Year 7. There were reminders of my campaign for School Captain, my ribbons for high jump, and a photo of Princess Grace Kelly and her son as a baby I once cut out of a Sunday magazine. I removed my poster of Florence Welch only to find that a quite fetching photo of Chace Crawford was on the back this whole time! Obviously something went wrong when I was deciding which side of the poster to use a few years ago.

Packing up your childhood bedroom can be daunting and a little bit like a reality hit, but something that makes the task more enjoyable is having the perfect soundtrack! Claire and I struggled with this last year when I packed up my whole room to move to my apartment, and Claire packed her things to move in to on-campus residential college. (Claire just gave up an made her own mix, which you can listen to here) Even today I can hear Claire in her room constantly changing mixes on 8Tracks trying to find the right vibe. 

Today I decided to listen to Nick Jonas' latest album and it was perfect for my poster removal! I was, and still am, a big Jonas Brothers fan (no point lying about it), and they were a big part of me growing up, so listening to the newest music to come from a Jo Bro seemed like the perfect decision to have that fusion of reliving my childhood and looking towards the future. Plus, I am totally digging this jazzy, cool vibe coming off this album that just made me dance and bop my head while removing every trace of blu-tack I could find. I cannot get Jealous out of my head! A+

If you are in the process of packing or moving, what music have you been listening to? Have you been feeling the nostalgia and listening to some throwback tunes? Or do you listen to french music to feel like a domestic goddess? Some chill-wave to allow for some reflective thoughts? Or some cheesy pop for a dance party? Let us know on our Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below and help us build the perfect Moving Out Mix! 

Stay gold.

Grace

January: Month In Review

Hello Friends!

So, a month left of summer and a month left of Uni break! We know we haven’t been the best posters last month (we are still getting onto our feet, of course) so we thought we should let you guys know what we’ve been up to. Living in the city means we have become champs at public transport and we can do many amazing things, including:

The St. Kilda Foreshore Market.
This market runs every Sunday along the Esplanade and is filled with some lovely booths. We purchased some lovely homemade soap and also matching rings! There was also a lot of cat merchandise <3

HOME <3
We visited home for a couple of days, which was very hot (we miss that hometown summer heat. Melbourne doesn’t even know what summer is). We got to catch up with friends we miss dearly and saw Into the Woods! Cinema tickets are much cheaper in the country.

Oscar Nom Watch 2k15
As we mentioned earlier, we are totally award show junkies and Claire takes the Oscar’s very seriously. When the Oscar nominations came out we made it our mission to see as many of the Best Picture nominations we can before the award show on February 22^nd (23^rd for us Australians). So far we have seen 5 of them (The Imitation Game, Birdman, Whiplash, Grand Budapest Hotel and The Theory of Everything) with three to go! 

This included a double feature (we literally had like 7 minutes between each showing.) of Birdman and Whiplash at Cinema Nova in Carlton. $7 tickets on Monday’s is a godsend. If you are going to take advantage of that ticket pricing, especially in the morning, we suggest you either order online or get there early because that line for the box office is LONG. And thank you Emily for joining us!

The Royal Croquet Club
We love the Melbourne online publication, Broadsheet. Honestly, if you haven’t already liked them on Facebook, followed them on Twitter (like we do) or even read the publication and you are passionate about experiencing what Melbourne has to offer, then you simply MUST. They give you the heads up on the best places to eat and simply amazing evens to attend. For example, their recent success of creating The Royal Croquet Club, a whimsical setup along Birrarung Marr with food trucks, Pimms Tents (PIMMS <3), live music, fairy lights and of course, Croquet!

We went twice! Once with the family and once on Australia Day with some lovely friends. We went in the afternoon, so we didn’t get to see it in its prime at night, but we loved it all the same. And my goodness, the bunting, the logo, the lights, the croquet, the vibe? 100% our aesthetic. Claire was heart-eyeing all over the place.

St. Kilda Beach
We live like 5 minutes from the beach, but we haven’t been much yet. One Friday evening though we did enjoy the best fish and chips ever (Tommy Tuckers onAcland Street) at the beach. Now, we are new to the whole beach thing, we haven’t really been an overwhelming amount of times, so he sand and wind was new to us, but who doesn’t love summer evenings and the sun setting over the ocean?

Friends & Family <3
And of course, we caught up with many of our friends and the fam-bam. We are so lucky <3

We Watched:

We also had a lot of downtime on the couch, and this mean, we watched a lot of movie and binge watched The OC Seasons 1 & 2, and Season 1 of Friday Night Lights (fun fact: movies about sport are some of our faves. Don’t ask why). We are really into American Football at the moment (and the South?) and we even watched the Super Bowl this past Monday. We still love country AFL the best, though.

There were also movies:

The Graduate, Charade, Cabaret, The Kings Speech, The Iron Lady, Moneyball, The Reader, The Vow, God Help The Girl, The Riot Club, Remember The Titans, Into the Woods, Whiplash, The Imitation Game, Birdman, Monster’s University, just to name a few.

And now it’s February! And it’s due to be a big one. We have University starting again in the first week of March, more blogposts to write, apartments to hunt, the Oscar’s, and the last traces of summer to soak up! So stay tuned, it’s going to be a wild one.

Also, we promise to post more on the blog and on our Instagram account so feel free to give it a follow! And tell us what you’ve bene up to this new year? We’d love to hear from you!

Stay gold!

Claire & Grace.

Things We Learnt In Our First Year Of University

Hello beautiful people! It is the second of February, which means that it is officially one month until we start our second year of University. Today we are also kicking off our little back to school series of blog posts, because next to Christmas and awards season, back to school is also one of our favourite time of the year! I know, we say that about everything, but at least back to school satisfies our obsession with stationary (We could spend hours upon hours in Officeworks alone).

As class registration opens today for our school (UoM, represent!), and we have a couple of friends who are going in to their first year, we thought that we should share some of the things we learnt, and feel like we want to share, about our first year. 

(Graceful and Claire do not own this image. This is a still from the semi-auto biographical TV series Gilmore Girls.)

Having a break longer than an hour might seem a good idea at first, but it will actually become the most dreaded time of your week.No one wants to hang around campus for a few hours waiting for their last class when you would much rather go home. But then again, if it is a scheduling thing you cannot avoid, make the most of the time to get some readings done, or do some research in the library.  ALSO, while spreading out your subjects across five days might seem like a good idea, you have the power and option to get a three or four day weekend! 3 days of Uni and a four day weekend is pretty great. But hey, whatever works for you.

Try out classes that you have never taken before.

Grace’s class on World Religions last year had the most interesting tutorial discussions, and I learnt a lot about all the different religions across the globe which will actually come in handy in the long run. First Year is your time to experiment before you declare your major in second or third year

If you’re coming in to Uni without knowing anyone, get involved in any O-Week activities or clubs. Grace didn’t know anyone coming in to Uni last year, but she went to the O-Week beach day my campus held and came out of it with some great friends! Having friends on campus will make your Uni experience a lot less scary. Also, check out what clubs and societies your campus has. It’s a great way to meet people who love the same things you do, and also can give you great benefits. For example, our Uni has a Coffee Appreciation Club and for like a $5 joining fee, each week you get free coffee at a different café on campus! FREE COFFEE! Nothing makes a Uni student happier.

 
Do your bibliography while writing your essay. Once you decide to use a source, take note of EVERY BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAIL of that source and store it before you leave it. Keeping on top of your sources will save a lot of time when it comes to finalising your essay ready to submit.

Attend your lectures as often as you can, if not all of them.You have a time set aside in your schedule for you to watch this lecture, why not use it? Watching lectures online, while helpful, do not always work and you can become distracted on other things on the internet. 

Grades/marks might be important to you, but if you’re really stressing about a subject, just remember: P’s Get Degrees! This isn’t year 12 anymore where every mark counts and determines which course you get into. You’ve done the work, and that is over. Now you are in Uni and sure, marks might matter to future employers or if you want to do masters or post-grad, but that’s mainly your second and third year marks! You’re a first year at Uni. You’re not expected to smash everything out of the park, you basically have to relearn how to write essays etc. It’s a whole new ballgame. A few of Claire’s tutors told her last year about how bad their marks were in first year, and now they are scholars! So DON’T WORRY. As long as you pass, you’re doing alright, kid. 

ALL IN ALL, everyone is different. This is just what we found worked for us. But you might be different to us, so just take this first year to get a feel for things and figure out what works for you. We’d love to hear your own tips and lessons!