Football Sunday

Hello Poppets! 

(Flashback to Year 9 where that was how we always greeted people)

Today we acknowledge a special and significant moment in Claire's life. Yes, we are talking about HER VERY FIRST AFL GAME! How Claire managed to get away with calling herself a Victorian for so long without actually attending an AFL match is truly amazing. I, however, attended my first AFL game some time in the period between Prep-Grade 2 with one of our uncles, back when I was exclusively a Western Bulldogs supporter.

Yes, we do enjoy the sports ball. It is no secret that we are fans of sports movies (mainly football related, but Moneyball is also a fave), and I was hooked on the AFL reality tv show, The Recruit, on Fox8 last year. We have also attended many country football games in our day, watching our older brother play throughout the years. Local football has a real sense of community, and it is one of the few things we miss about the country (sometimes). Except we are not the kind of fans that follow a team, or care about stats etc. We just enjoy the game (and you cannot really complain about those uniforms, really).

Us with our brother, James, at the local footy Grand Final 2014

There is nothing more Melbournian than descending on The G (That's the MCG for you non-Melbourne folk) or Etihad Stadium, eating a meat pie and watching a good old game of footy. However, we did not have the opportunity to attend the game until our brother asked if we would like to join him to the Essendon (his team) vs. Hawthorn twilight match. We said yes, and so we borrowed a couple of scarves, and joined our brother for a Sunday afternoon at the MCG. 

We shuffled out of Richmond station with the crowd, surrounded by avid football fans, and eventually made it to our seats. Since we had lunch at TGIFriday's beforehand (because why not?), so no meat pie for us, but we did have an expensive cup of cider ($8?!). We were ready. 

Two out of three of our Instagram posts made it on the big screen during the pre-game and half-time (We're practically famous). The game is the same, but the experience of being around so many people, and the sheer scale of it all... It was quite exciting, especially if the team you are going for wins (after the most intense last 2 minutes ever).

Claire's verdict: 10/10 would go again. If you have the opportunity to attend, go for it. Thank you so much to our brother for taking us. We love you, bro. 

Stay gold,
Grace x

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

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.

15 Things for 2015

Happy New Year! (Again)

Claire, here! As you can probably tell, this week we are really digging into this whole "new year" thing, here at Graceful and Claire. Now, I'm not one for making new years resolutions, and even then, 15 seems a bit much. That's why this post is all about things. These "things" are not resolutions, but rather, reminders of things to do and remember during this year that is 2015. 

2015 for us means moving out into our own apartment, our second year of university, more blogging and more of experiencing what Melbourne has to offer!

**** This has been edited. I found the original 15 things I wrote in our notebook, and I like these better *****

1. See more movies (obviously)
2. Get involved more at Uni
3. Glee is finally ending (this is a good thing)
4. Parks and Rec is ending (this is a bad thing)
5. Shop more (Treat Yo' Self)
6. Hold onto old friends
7. But make some more friends, too
8. Take Your Passion, and Make It Happen
9. Find a Bar (go to bars)
10. Branch out more (in what, who knows)
11. Good Vibes Only
12. Be less bitter about those who travel (Seriously. Your time is coming)
13. Go to the Melbourne Museum, festivals, markets etc. Experience what Melbourne has to offer
14. Slow down
15. Blog Blog Blog Blog

We look forward to seeing what this year has to offer!

Claire x

14 Things I Learnt in 2014

Happy New Year!

Today I bring you a reflective post on the year that was 2014, very much inspired by (*cough* copied *cough*) A's post on fellow Melbourne blog, Mosaik. Last year was quite a whirlwind. It was definitely one of the biggest learning experiences of my life. Plus, reflecting on the year that was is something I like to do every New Year's. So, here are 14 things I learnt in 2014.

1.It is possible to be both a One Tree Hill, and an OC person.

2. Moving out of home at 18 is not as common as I thought.

3. Pasta takes approximately 12 minutes to cook.

4. Keep your friends close, and your family closer.

5. Not everything will turn out the way that you planned it, no matter how much you had imagined every detail.

6. "If you're not scared, you're not taking a chance" - Ted Mosby. Taking chances are how you move forward in life.

7. I now know how to use 5 different styles of footnote referencing.

8. When it comes to Rory Gilmore's love life, I prefer Logan Huntzberger.

9. On weekends, the city loop trains arrive every 20 minutes on the Sandringham line.

10. It is important to just do you. Do not worry about what other people may think, or about living up to stereotypes.

11. You will miss high school. You think that you wont, but you will. (At least once.)

12. At Uni, you can write your essays on anything (as long as it is relevant) -- long live my World Religions essay discussing the portrayal of Mormon missionary life in the Broadway musical, Book of Mormon, and the official scripture.

13. Moving to the Melbourne was one of the best decisions I made in 2014.

14. I have not yet peaked in life, which means that the best is yet to come.

- Grace