Hi!
I'm back, I'm back.
Where
have I been, you ask? I was writing my third year dissertation, otherwise known
as my FYP (final year project). 10,000 words on a subject of my choice, worth
40% of my overall degree. Pretty important stuff!
I
decided to question: "How is language abused in science fiction?"
My
primary texts were Frankenstein,
The Island of Doctor Moreau and Time's
Arrow. The primary focus of my FYP was to examine the text of Sir
Francis Galton's theory of eugenics, which suggested breeding a better race of
people. The emphasis was the language he used in his theory, which was not to
create a new race but to modify and improve the current race. This became
particularly significant because the scientists in each text all attempt to
create their own race, with disastrous consequences.
I
took me 8 months to research and write this, and the last 6 weeks were
ridiculous. I still feel physically exhausted, even though there was very
little exercise happening. Unless eating Easter eggs count as exercise...
However,
that said, I have lost another 1% body fat since February :) so now I'm 21.3%.
I need to crack on now to reach my goal of 18% by July, but now I'm not living
in the library or the learning cafe, I think I can do this.
So...
to catch up, I'm going to write 4 little reviews.
Review
#1:
Anna
Karenina, 3/5
Starring:
Jude Law as Alexei Karenin, Keira Knightley as Anna Karenina and Aaron
Taylor-Wood as Count Vronsky (ginormous swoon).
Originally
a novel by Leo Tolstoy and published between 1873 and 1877, this 2012 adaption
is very theatrical. If you like Moulin
Rouge and Romeo
& Juliet, directed by Baz Luhrmann, you will probably like this
film too. That said, I really like the aforementioned films, but I was
disappointed with Anna
Karenina. It starts as if the action is taking place on the stage,
however this theme then becomes more sporadic throughout.
Anna
Karenina is a complex character, and I read in an interview with Ms. Knightley
that the viewer is not intended to simply like or dislike her. However, when
she commits suicide, I felt nothing. I let out a genuine gasp of sadness and
shock at the death of Vronsky's beautiful horse, yet when Anna throws herself
in front of a train, I felt not a tiny bit of sadness.
The
performances of the three main characters were outstanding, and the costumes
absolutely gorgeous. Lucky
Keira, getting to dress up all the time. However, the inclusion of a side-plot felt fragmented,
and when the film switched between the two, I found myself just waiting to
return to the plot surrounding Anna.
It
was ambitious to turn 800+ pages into a 129 minute film, and I felt there was
not enough time to establish the significance of the side-plot. I would watch
this film again, and it is definitely worth watching, but I'm glad I waited to
watch this on Sky.
Review
#2:
Pitch
Perfect,
2/5
Starring:
Rebel Wilson, Anna Kendrick, and a lot of other people.
This
film was predictable to the point of annoyance. And it took 90 minutes, out of
112, to reach an extremely obvious solution.
Beca,
Anna Kendrick, goes to college and joins The Bellas, an all-female singing
group. They compete against the all-boys singing group in competitions, and
inevitably win at the big final.
The
first annoying point about this is I've seen Kendrick play the same character
twice now; that awkward, "quirky" character which somehow always
comes out on top, when in fact is just plain rude. The second annoying point is
that, for a comedy, this film isn't that funny. I love Rebel Wilson, and she's
hilarious, but after a while I felt, "Oh here's Rebel Wilson, she'll say
or do something slightly silly or rude and it's going to be funny." There
were no unexpected laughs, and at points, it was just plain odd, like when one
of the characters suddenly vomits in retaliation during an argument.
I
won't watch this again, and I'm definitely glad I didn't go to the cinema for
this!
Review
#3:
Bastille,
Bad
Blood,
4.5/5
Believe
the hype, this album is fantastic. It has two of my favourite things:
intelligent lyrics and good harmonies. All of the tracks are slightly melancholy
and thought-provoking, which remind me of albums such as Ed Sheeran's + and Lana Del Ray's Born To Die. Also, I had a
listen to Bastille's live tracks on YouTube, and they are just as amazing live
as on the album.
Top
tracks: Pompeii, Things We
Lost In The Fire and Bad
Blood.
Tracks
to avoid: personally, I find Get
Home a bit irritating.
This
is the perfect album for both quiet-time and sing-a-longs, and I strongly
recommend buying this ASAP.
Review
#4:
Taylor
Swift, Red, 3/5
This
album is very pop, with catchy sing-a-longs and a couple of ballads. I
particularly enjoy the songs where you can hear Swift's country music
influences, and the lyrics in her songs are (slightly) more grown up than her
previous album, Fearless.
Top
tracks: Red, I Knew You Were
Trouble, 22, and Holy
Ground.
Tracks
to avoid: All Too Well
and I Almost Do. These
get very whiney.
This
is a girly, fun album, with some real gems, but sometimes her voice is a little
grating.
xxxxx
