Call Me By Your Name

Call Me By Your Name is a 2017 independent film, based on the book of the same name. The story is set in the summer of 1983 in a small town in Northern Italy. It features up and coming actor Timothée Chalamet, who plays the character of Elio Perlman; a precocious 17-year-old who spends his summer days at his family villa; Elio's skills range from playing the piano, playing the guitar and being incredibly intelligent. Soon into the story, Elio meets Oliver, played by Armie Hammer; Oliver is a
doctoral student who is working as an intern for Elio's father for a 6 week period, over the summer. Amid the summer heat in Italy, Elio and Oliver discover their desire for each other and a powerful romance blooms between them; soon they realise the summer of 1983 will alter their lives forever.

The coming of age movie is really unlike any other film I've ever seen. It tells a romantic story of two men falling in love - something that is portrayed as really natural and real. Call me by your name really relays the message that regardless of gender, love is love; it is a story that the world really needs right now, a story that will always be relevant. Peter Spears, the producer of the film, has commented before that Call Me By Your Name was the film that he needed when he was younger. It is a film that is a pure celebration of love, compassion and life. A film in which two men can find the stars together and share a life-changing love, which is based on a mutual desire and understanding. It is a film which LGBT audiences can see that they too deserve a life full of love and acceptance.

Personally, I found the movie hauntingly beautiful. I was really blown away and moved by this story. It made me quite speechless and heartbroken, the only way I feel after I've really fallen in love with a story. I think this is why it is so relatable for everyone and anyone though, it tells a non-generic love story, yet it is a love story nevertheless. It's a coming of age story, or a story about bisexuality - however you interpret it, or whatever you take from it, it remains the same, that seeing these characters fall in love awakens something in everyone a feeling or a memory - everyone has fallen in love and everyone has had their heartbroken in one way or another. Chalamet and Hammer really portrayed these characters in a outstanding way - they were so incredibly perfect for the roles it's quite difficult to explain. One way to put it is that you can't even see an element of the actors in their roles - obviously how it's always meant to be - but they do truly disappear into their roles so only the characters remain.

One of the final scenes in the movie, when Mr. Pearlman speaks his monologue to Elio, is one of the most moving. The speech itself is about not trying to hide or contain your feelings, about feeling pain and allowing ourselves the time to feel the pain we do - not trying to cure ourselves before we've really had time to feel and heal. It's also about Mr. Pearlman accepting and being ok with whoever Elio wants to be. Normally these films have so much hatred and non-acceptance, one or more characters who are homophobic, so it's really up and coming and refreshing to actually have a movie where the characters are being accepted for who they are.

The soundtrack for the movie is one of the most exquisite of 2017. The songs fit in perfectly with the scenes themselves and with the setting of the film. Not only this, but Luca Guadagnino created a crafted masterpiece. The film was shot in sequence - something that is rarely done - and I think it really shows in the film. The shots are artistic, they aren't rushed and it doesn't feel like the scenes have been squished together in order to fit as much as possible into the the 2 hour run time. Instead the pace set by the director feels true to the story, it allows the viewers to see Elio and Oliver feign their feelings and gradually fall in love, without jumping straight into that element of the story.

To finish with a quote as always, I'll leave you with one from Mr. Pearlman's monologue.

"We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste"

Call Me By Your Name is currently being shown at select cinemas. It is available on DVD in the UK on 5th March 2018.

Until next time,

Alice x

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The Tooth Brush With A Cap

Me and my family have been using Oral B electronic toothbrushes for many years, so when I heard about an opportunity involving Sonic Chic, a travel electric toothbrush, I thought it would be a good chance to try a portable brush, that I can carry around with me to sleepovers, weekends away and holidays, something that's better quality than a regular toothbrush but isn't too big or bulky.

I received my Sonic Chic toothbrush a few weeks ago now, but in-between everything else I've only just gained the chance to try it out and review it. I wasn't really sure how to use the brush - even though the instructions tell you how to un-cap it and what to do after use - I was more confused with whether I was meant to let the brush sit on each tooth individually whilst it vibrated  (similar to what you do with an Oral B one) or whether you were meant to brush your teeth the regular way, like you do with a manual brush. But after testing both theories and the vibrations getting slightly out of hand when I cleaned my teeth the regular way - I eventually decided to just move the brush around slowly, so I was cleaning all teeth but the vibrations weren't uncomfortable on my teeth and the brush wasn't going into overdrive.

I found the brush ok - not as good as the more expensive Oral B one - but what can you expect from a portable toothbrush? My teeth felt clean after brushing - as they should do - and probably more so than when you clean with a manual brush.

It's not a toothbrush I'd want to use everyday as it's not the most comfortable experience, however as a holiday toothbrush - and having minimal use of it - I'd say the pricing of £20 in Boots, isn't too costly for the ok quality of the brush. However, if you're looking for an everyday electronic toothbrush I'd probably recommend a higher market product - as even though they're more expensive your teeth will probably get a better brush.

I love the pattern on the brush as well - there are various patterns you can choose from when you buy the brush, which I think is great as it makes the brush bright and exciting to use. Although I got sent this geometric pattern one by chance - I love the colours in it and it's a pattern I would've chosen myself if I'd had the chance. It's great that it comes in different styles - especially if children are going to be using it as it'll make them more excited to brush their teeth.

I'll definitely continue to use the Sonic Chic, travel toothbrush when I go to sleepovers or nights away as it'll save me carrying around my slightly bulkier normal electric toothbrush, and it'll give my teeth a better clean than I'd normally get with a manual toothbrush.

Have you checked out the Sonic Chic Electric Toothbrush? If so how did you get on with it?

"A healthy smile, is a beautiful smile"

Until Next Time,

Alice x

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Korean Kimchi - The New Superfood

A few weeks ago I stated my interest in trying out a new superfood in the UK Blogger Opportunities Facebook group, and after receiving an email from the lovely Penny who explained what the superfood was; I recieved a package of Kimchi in the post.

I'd been wanting to be a bit healthier in what I was eating for quite a while, so I thought taking part in this review may help encourage me to try more superfoods in the future and it may kickstart me into being healthier in general.

The jar says you can try the fermented cabbage dish, alongside rice, porridge, soups, stir-fry noodles, stews and pancakes. However, as soon as I opened the jar to see what the product looked like, I was completely overwhelmed by the smell of the superfood and became really unsure about trying the dish.

Nevertheless, I'd agreed to do a review, so I thought it was only right I actually tried the product. However, I really didn't enjoy the taste of the sauce (and I'm not a big fan of cabbage on a good day), so like when I initially smelt the dish, the outcome wasn't a great one and I could only have one mouthful of the cabbage before I was downing a glass of water to get rid of the taste.

I'm glad I agreed to try the superfood as it answered my question of whether or not superfoods are something I am likely to enjoy or not, however I wouldn't try this product or one similar again as I really didn't enjoy the experience at all.

Have you ever tried a superfood you've enjoyed or disliked?

"A smile is more powerful than any superfood"

Until Next Time,

Alice x

Disclaimer: Yutaka gave me the opportunity to review Kimchi but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Matilda The Musical

After booking tickets to spend the weekend in London and deciding Matilda was the West End show me and my best friend, Meg, wanted to see; we arrived in London on Saturday 25th June and after our bus didn't turn up and we initially couldn't figure out which tube line to take, we started to have a bit of a panic and I wondered why we ever thought it was a good idea to come alone to London in the first place. But, after we eventually managed to make it to Shaftesbury avenue, where we seeked out the Cambridge Theatre and went to the Theatre Cafe for lunch, things started to seem a little bit brighter and we both started to actually enjoy ourselves.

Matilda The Musical is based on the children's novel 'Matilda' written by Roald Dahl. It was adapted into a musical by Dennis Kelly (with music and lyrics from Tim Minchin) and although he changed a few things about the story such as writing a part for the librarian who runs the library Matilda visits, and including more of a base story for the history of Miss Honey's mother and father; there were reasons for these changes, he wanted to keep Matilda's love for books in the play - as this is one of the main character values for Matilda - so to do this he changed her love for books into a love of stories, so the play stayed interesting for the new and old audiences and this meant we continue to love the story, in it's new musical form. The most iconic parts of the play were also kept in the musical, these were parts of the story such as Amanda being swung around by her plaits and launched into the air, Matilda's unique gift of moving things with her eyes and Bruce being forced to eat a whole chocolate cake; all the parts of the story that we instantly think of when we think of Matilda were kept, for me, these are the most memorable parts of the story, they show what a horrible character Miss Trunchbull is and the karma that follows these vile acts, comes back to bite Miss Trunchbull on the bum, and helps add comedy to the story; these iconic moments are therefore very important to the story of Matilda as they hold the basis of why the children start playing naughty pranks on their headteacher in the first place.

Matilda is an extraordinarily clever 5 year old girl, with horrid parents, Mr and Mrs Wormwood - who never wanted another child, and a dumb older brother who has been brain washed by the rubbish TV he's watched his whole life, Matilda is a lonely girl who visits the library and reads books as a way of expanding her mind and finding some happiness within her lonely life. Her cleverness completely overthrows her parents and she outwit's them throughout the book and musical , making them look stupid and act silly - which adds further comedy to the story.

Miss Trunchbull is the horrid Headteacher that runs Crunchem Elementary Hall, the mean Aunt of Miss Honey, she gets away with vile acts that no normal headteacher would be allowed to do - the Chokey is one example of a punishment she carries out on the children and her character was always one that scared me when I was younger; with the greasy hair and the largeness of the character - next to that of the tiny children never failed to make me terrified whilst watching the film or reading the book. The children continually carry out pranks on the headmistress and there's always the fear they're going to get caught no matter how well you know the story. Its the fact the children actually carry out these naughty acts, that shows how brave they are and Miss Trunchbull's karma comes from a lot of these naughty pranks.

Miss Honey is Matilda's kind and caring teacher - Miss Honey is blown away by the fact Matilda is so clever when she's only 5 years old and although Mr and Mrs Wormwood and Miss Trunchbull both try and deter Miss Honey from helping Matilda - it doesn't work and Miss Honey becomes the mother that Matilda never had, as well as bonding with her over stories/books. She's the only character in the story that really believes in Matilda and helps her develop her gifts. She protects all the children from Miss Trunchbull - even though she is terrified of her Aunt; and when she meets Matilda she starts to find her bravery to stand up to her - which first comes clear in the song "Pathetic" when Miss Honey - despite being scared - knocks on her Aunt's office door and talks to her about Matilda's extraordinary cleverness.

The Children aka Matilda's school friends are Amanda, Bruce, Lavender, Alice, Eric, Nigel, Tommy and Hortensia - these are the amazing children that help make the play feel realistic, they give Matilda friends, give Miss Honey's class actual students, create mischief like Lavender putting the Newt in Miss Trunchball's water jug, add comedic moments - like Nigel's inability to hold up an exercise mat in Phys-ed, they dance on their desks and get frightened by the older school kids in the school and I think the musical would be a lot duller without these characters being portrayed by actual children; yes adults can play children just as good as actual children can - but there's something about their innocence, cheekiness and fun way of going about life, that I think made the play a lot better by being portrayed by the young actors and I think this decision, made by Dennis Kelly and the director - Matthew Warchus - was the correct one.

Mr and Mrs Wormwood are Matilda's mean parents - at the beginning Mrs Wormwood has no clue she's pregnant and it's straight away obvious neither parent cares about their daughter. With Mr Wormwood constantly calling her a "he" and them both constantly finding Matilda irritating as she disagrees with their crooked ways. These two characters also add a lot of comedy to the play - their stupidity because of their simple lifestyle makes them humorous and as Matilda constantly out wits them throughout the play which adds to the comedy in the story.

I think Mr Wormwood's simple mind, silliness, over-gelled hair and weird green suit made him one of my favourite characters from the show - I found his crazy mannerism's absolutely hilarious and this just made me love his character even more. Strangely, the next morning me and Meg saw a man that looked and spoke exactly like Mr Wormwood, it was really weird how similar they were but also hilarious; because the man probably had no idea that he looked like a well-known character that was purposely styled for comedic reasons.

My favourite songs from the show are "When I grow Up" and "Revolting Children" both of which featured in Act Two of the show. The Swings that were used in When I Grow Up made the scene quite magical to watch. The children and adults effortlessly make all the swings in-sync throughout the scene and I think this just made the whole thing absolutely incredible and it was probably my favourite part of the show to watch as it bought out the big kid in me and had my enraptured throughout the entire thing. Revolting Children was amazing as well  - Bruce began the song and I really love how he gets to show off his outstanding vocals. The high energy in this scene is great - and I think this is one of the things that made me absolutely love it, the characters take what Miss Trunchbull says about them and turn it against her - having fun whilst singing and dancing along to a song that is taking the mick out of the horrible comments that are meant to offend them - they are beating a bully by not letting her untrue comments effect them. I also love how all the children are included in these two scenes and you can tell they're enjoying every moment of it - just as the audience is.

I would hugely recommend going to see Matilda The Musical, it's a fun filled family show and in my opinion it was absolutely incredible, I couldn't rave about it enough. If I had the opportunity to see the show again I would jump at the chance; it's one of those shows that you know you could sit through a hundred times and not get bored; sort of like a good movie or a good book - both of which I've seen/read many times in the case of Matilda. And I can't stop listening to the Matilda soundtrack - the songs are so catchy and they're making me reminisce on a great evening/weekend away with my best friend.

"Just because you're little, doesn't mean you can't do a lot"

To find out more about Matilda The Musical click here to visit the website. 

Until Next Time,

Alice x

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N - Now You See Me

Now You See Me is a film based around four illusionists called the four horsemen. The film begins with the audience seeing each of the solo illusionists - Daniel Atlas, Merritt McKinney, Henley Reeves and Jack Wilder - performing, this is so you can see and understand each of their individual talents. After they each find a mysterious Tarot card sent by a unknown benefactor they are directed into meeting each other, and a year later we see them performing in a sold out arena in Las Vegas, with insurance magnate Arthur Tressler, as their Financial Benefactor. However, this is no ordinary magic show, and we soon discover their shows are based around draining the bank accounts of the corrupt and giving the money to audience members, who were the unsuspecting victims of denied insurance claims. The story also follows the federal agents and Interpol detective, who are trying to find evidence to catch the Four Horsemen before their next trick. To help themselves understand the illusionists tricks, they turn to Thaddeus Bradley, who is famous for exposing magicians and their tricks.

Now You See Me is one of my favourite films, I find magic tricks really fascinating so when I first saw the trailer for this film I couldn't contain my excitement. The film keeps the identity of the unknown benefactor secret till the very end of the film, even the characters don't know who was the mind behind everything surrounding the Four Horsemen, so when it's revealed at the end of the film it's quite a big shock for the audience. The complex plot does mean you have to concentrate quite a lot on the film otherwise you miss important parts; I was still clicking some of the pieces together when I was watching it for a fourth/fifth time. I think you need to watch it at least twice as once you know the identity of the mysterious benefactor your outlook on the film changes as you can understand more of the plot, with this knowledge.

Three years after the first film was released, they're finally releasing the sequel to Now You See Me later this year. The plot once again follows the story of the four horsemen, however this time, instead of being the criminals, they must perform a unprecedented stunt in order to clear their names and expose tech magnate, Walter Mabry. However, in this film one of the horsemen have been replaced. Instead of Isla Fisher playing Henley Reeves, due to her pregnancy, Lizzy Caplan was cast as new character Lula to replace her as the fourth horseman. However, I am unsure on the switch up, and whether the story and the characters personalities are going to fit around the reasoning why Henley is absent and Lula is there instead - I guess we'll just have to find out in June.

Now You See Me is currently avaliable on DVD and Blu-Ray and Now You See Me: The Second Act  is released on 10th June in the UK. You can watch the trailer here.

What's your favourite film?

"The closer you look, the less you'll actually see"

Until Monday,

Alice x

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