Wedding Planning Essentials

I have no shame in saying that after we got engaged one of the first things I bought was a wedding planner. I can safely say its one of the best things I’ve bought. As we delve further into our own wedding planning, I thought I’d compile a little list of the things I have found useful (and sometimes just plain pretty) for wedding planning.

A Wedding Planner
I looked around for a while for one of these and found the perfect on from John Lewis. It was around £20, but has been the most useful thing ever. It’s full of lists of things I didn’t realise we would need and has lots of space for ideas. A budget planner which is super useful, and little spaces to put leaflets and bits and bobs collected from weddings fayres or from magazines. It’s also something nice to keep for later when you’ve got kids/grandkids or just want to reminisce about your wedding, you’ve got all the plans and ideas inside!

Busy B Wedding Planner here

A White Board
Now, I knew when I bought the wedding planner that it was mostly going to be for neat, final ideas, and I wanted to keep it as tidy as possible. So we bought a white board to throw down any ideas we had and wanted to mess around with, and then we popped the final ideas, down in the planner, along with costs and etc.

Pinterest

Whilst it’s easy to get carried away on Pinterest and loose hours of your life, it’s also like looking through one massive wedding magazine. I’ve gotten some great ideas and inspiration for some things on there, from the venue decoration to cake ideas. Whilst some of the stuff on there would be pretty expensive, its given me ideas and made me look for cheaper alternatives. Pinterest also has a feature where you can collaborate on a board, so you can invite your bridesmaids/groomsmen and get planning, without feeling like your sending them loads of emails and messages.

Wedding Magazines

Now, its easy to get sucked in with these guys and some of them are a waste of time. However, if you pick up one thats about the area you want to get married in (e.g. I picked up Yorkshrie Bride) it can be a little gem as it will have lots of suppliers, fairs etc that are local to you. Sometimes googling, ‘Wedding Venue in Yorkshire’ doesn’t always bring up what you want. It’s also good to have a flick through and get some decoration ideas? Particularly the ones that do features on certain weddings. I’d always have a little flick through the magazine before buying it. These can however be a little over priced, so any brides/brides to be that you know, talk to them and do a magazine swap when you’ve both finished with them! Helps keep costs down.

Notepads/Post-It-Notes

I guarantee these will become your best friends. I have two notepads dedicated to wedding things, filled with questions for the venue/suppliers, things that I don’t really want in my wedding planner, things that help you along to securing final details. Pages and pages of photographers and wedding fayre dates. Post it notes are also great if you and your other half need to get stuff done but maybe don’t have time to do that together. A Facebook message is great but once its read doesn’t always mean it gets done or looked at. A post it note starring you in the face is quite hard to ignore!

So, there are my planning essentials so far! Let me know if this was helpful, and what are some the things you swear by for wedding planning?

 

 

5 Things I’ve Learnt Since Getting Engaged

Being engaged is a pretty wonderful feeling and a super exciting time. You feel all excited and bubbly and it’s pretty impossible to wipe away the big fat stupid grin that sits on your face afterwards. If you’re married or engaged you’ll know what I mean, but I thought I’d kick of my first wedding related post with what I’ve learnt in the last 7 or so months since becoming engaged.

1) “That’s lovely…have you set a date?”
It is no exaggeration when I say in the first 48 hours of being engaged the amount of people that asked us if we had set a date yet was unreal. If you already have an idea of when you want to get married, great! But if not, then maybe prepare yourselves for the attack of the same question. (This question also never really goes away as anytime anyone brings up the subject of weddings, me and my fiancé (still feels fancy) still get asked)

2) You start putting a price on everything
Weddings are expensive, there is no denying that. But after the excitement of getting engaged you start thinking about money and how much everything costs, and now I keep looking at stuff and thinking, “Yes, I would like to buy you, however you are also the cost of half a bridesmaid dress and so, I won’t be buying you.” In some ways this is good, as saving for weddings is good, in other ways…it’s not, and will take some getting used to, but will be worth it in the end!

3) Your ring might not fit, and that’s okay
Okay, it’s happened, you’ve gotten engaged! Woohoo! They slide the ring onto your finger and as you look at it in all its engaged shininess you realise…it’s too big. But that’s okay. We had to wait six weeks for the ring to come back as it had to be remade, and as an engagement party loomed over us and we wanted it before that. But as it was beautifully put to me, I put it to you, ‘six weeks is not long, when you wear the ring for the rest of your life’. That pretty much put it into perspective for me, even though I was desperate to wear it. And then when we got the ring back properly, it made it all extra exciting again, and I felt newly engaged again! We also got the ring in time, the Tuesday before the engagement party which was on the Saturday.

4) There will be tears, and smiles
I cried when I got proposed to, I cried when I told my mum, my dad, my sister. When I told my friends, when I went into work and was met with balloons and cards and hugs. I cried at the kindness of friends and the excitement of family. I cried at the engagement cake my Aunty made for us. There were many tears and I can only say that there will be more. Carry tissues at all time. But, for a good month after, I couldn’t take the smile from my face. I was constantly grinning like a cheshire cat. What am I chatting, I’m still grinning like a cheshire cat!

5) It’s the best feeling in the world
Knowing that your other half has gone through all of this to do something this amazing and thoughtful is such an amazing feeling. I also felt so flattered that even though we had talked about getting married and being together forever, it was actually happening and that the guy in front of me had chosen me and was asking me to be his forever. That is one of the most amazing feelings that I will never forget! It was also amazing to find out how much effort my other half had gone through, and how involved my family (particularly my sister) were and I had absolutely no idea about it, so it was the biggest and nicest surprise knowing they all knew it was going to happen. And I get to relive the feeling every time someone asks me to tell them how it happened.

Have you guys had any similar experiences or other things you’ve learnt since popping/being asked the big question? Let me know! 🙂

Netflix Find: Safety Not Guaranteed

I always find from time to time that my Netflix account can be a little overwhelming. It has such a huge selection of films, some that I’ve seen, others that I’ve heard of, and some that are completely brand new to me. It’s kind of like a friend saying, “you pick” and you scan their collection, asking them various questions about their thoughts on the film in your hand. Only with Netflix, it’s just you and the remote and occasionally google. So I thought I’d set up a little feature where I can share the little Netflix gems that I’ve found through searching and watching the random films you might have skipped!  Think of it as a mini recommendation, as opposed to a proper review! Of course, if you don’t have a Netflix account, don’t worry, I’ll let you know if the film is worth purchasing at the end of the mini review!

I stumbled across this little film due to it being in one of my favourite categories, ‘Critically acclaimed’ I’ve seen a few of the films in this category, such as 50/50, and so the play button was pressed. It sounded a bit random and different, and slightly out of mine and my boyfriend’s usual comfort zone, but hey, this is what Netflix is for right?

Safety Not Guaranteed is directed by Colin Trevorrow and is basically about a reporter for a magazine, who stumbles across an ad for someone looking for a partner to go back in time with them. The reporter rallies up two interns, and the three of them try and work out what this guy is about in order to produce an article about him and his time travelling antics. The film is also produced by the guys who brought us Little Miss Sunshine, so if you liked that, there is a good chance you will like this as well!

Without giving too much away, the film is really fresh and really funny. It deals with the concept of time and time travel in a really sophisticated way that isn’t too overly cheesy. It’s not about being able to go back in time to revisit history or alter a life changing event, its more about what point in your life you would go back to if you could, what would you change? I love films that do this, that let you as the audience slip yourself into the narrative and give you space to answer the questions in the film yourself.

It’s witty, feel good, adventurous, a bit mysterious and unlike anything I’ve really seen before, much like I felt when I first saw Little Miss Sunshine. Is it worth a watch? Definitely! I really, really enjoyed it. Is it worth a buy? I would, but I’m not in a rush to seeing as its chilling on my Netflix!

Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour: The Review

Okay, so where do I start with this one? A bit different to the normal reviews found here on Living In The Moment, but I’ll give it a go anyway. 

A little family holiday to London with my Boyfriend’s family finally came around earlier this week, and within that trip was a visit to the Warner Brother’s Studio. Now, I’d heard it was good, but I didn’t realize how good. 

I’m going to try and keep this as spoiler free as possible, but just incase I let something slip slightly, I would suggest if you haven’t been already and you are intending on going, and don’t want to know anything about it (like I didn’t), then I wouldn’t read on, or google anything to do with this experience. I went in completely unaware and felt like that added to the experience, I would strongly suggest any one else to do the same! 

We got the train from London to Watford Junction, and from there the experience pretty much started. We boarded a ‘Harry Potter Shuttle Bus’ that took us straight to the studios for the small price of £2. When you arrive you are greeted by the studio, which is covered in images from the films, it’s pretty hard to miss. From there you collect your pre paid tickets (tickets can only be bought online as you have to enter within a certain time frame e.g. 12:30 – 13:00) and then you get the queue and take in all the amazing studioness. Huge pictures hang on the interior walls as well, and a lovely quote from JK Rowling can be seen as you queue. There is also a gift shop (we will get to that later) and a little cafe with a Starbucks. 

You then go in, and *excuse the pun* the magic starts. Without telling you too much, you enter a room were you receive a nice introduction, then are ushered into a cinema screen were you find more information about the studio and the tour. The tour is basically full of the incredibly designed sets from the films, the stunning costumes and props, as well as extra secrets and surprises along the way. Although there isn’t a specified tour guide taking you round, the staff that are on hand are so knowledgeable and passionate about Harry Potter and the studio, that they can inform you on pretty much anything about the films and answer any of your questions. They are also extremely friendly and approachable. I found myself listening in to a lot of conversations I could hear between the staff and some visitors who were asking questions. The tour works as a one way kind of system so once you leave one section, you can’t go back. I would strongly suggest taking your time and breathing it all in, taking lots of photos, reading all the bits of information and watching all the film clips, because you can’t run back to it. Look for as long as you like and soak it all up. 

There are three sections in total, the first stage (Stage J), a studio backlot and the second stage (Stage K). In the studio backlot there are a few more ‘attractions’ such as the Hogwarts Bridge, the chance to grab some food, and sample some Butter Beer. If there is one thing you do when on the tour, its try some Butter Beer, it is not what I expected and super sweet and yummy! I would also try and get as many photos as possible, the staff where always happy to take some group photos for me which was lovely! 

After the tour ends you are then greeted by the little bit of Harry Potter Heaven known as the gift shop. You can’t go on the tour and NOT get something from the shop! Everything is pretty well priced for what it is, so whilst its not exactly cheap, its not a knock off either and everything is of a good, merchandise quality. Having known about the shop though we all knew what we wanted to buy. I ended up buying a Marauders Map and a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The shop was also really well stocked and restocked so there is no worry of rushing incase it runs out of maps or wands, the staff are on it! There was also a huge selection of character wands which Andy and Rach both invested in getting an Elder Wand and Hermione’s wand between them. There is also lots of other bits in the shop, some more expensive than the others, and little bits such as key rings, fridge magnets, as well as cloaks and scarves and so on. 

The whole experience is just something extra special. I think being a fan of the films, the books and a bit of a film fanatic anyway added to it, but I was just blown away. I grew up with the films and the books being a massive part of my childhood, and the films ended when I was around about the same age as Harry, Ron and Hermione, so being able to revisit that and the stories in a different way was really enjoyable. The thought and care that had gone into the whole event, making it something special for each visitor. And then the revealing of how the films were made and the sets was just kind of overwhelming really. It was much better than I expected and geniuenly interesting! 

It was so refreshing to see such a huge dynamic of visitors as well. There were holiday makers who were making it part of their holiday to London, famlies on days out, couples, brothers and sisters, friends, grandparents taking their grandchildren out. It really brought home just how important these stories are, and how many people Harry Potter has reached. 

If you love Harry Potter, or even film making then you will love this. It would also make a really great (maybe slightly pricey if you don’t live near London) gift to a Harry Potter fan! I’m already planning my second visit! 

Review: The Fault In Our Stars

*So I wrote this pretty much straight out of coming out of the cinema when I saw the film on the 19th of June, but haven’t been able to post it up until now due to moving from a house to a flat and lack of internet, so it’s a bit late, but here it is!*

Okay, so I’m writing this fresh out of the cinema with my red cheeks and my eyes still puffy and sensitive, but it needs to be done. What a film. I’m not even too sure where to start with this one, but I’ll give it ago. I’ve been waiting for this film for years, much like other lovers of John Green’s amazing novel. Well, it was worth the wait. It is hard when you have an emotional attachment to the book not to compare it to the film. It’s almost automatically imprinted in your mind to be aware of the adaptation. But in this case, the film is almost symmetrical. Of course there are going to be some bits missing from it, its impossible to cram everything into a film, but what is there is stunning. It’s almost as if the film makers have lifted the story directly from the book, and simply brought it to life. The setting, actors, dialogue, everything is amazing. I know you shouldn’t throw around the word perfect too much, but in this case, I really, really thought it was.

All of my expectations were met and more. I also fell in love with Shailine Woodley, she gives an amazing performance as Hazel and I need to see more of her films right now! I don’t think with this film that you really need to read the book before either. There are of course extra small details that only people who have read it would pick up on, and you get more of the narrative from the book and more from Hazel’s character but other than that, the film really follows the written version closely enough in all the main events and scenes. However, having read the book, I felt it made me cry more during the movie purely because I knew what was going to happen and was just waiting for it.

It is of course, really really sad. Whilst it has its funny moments, it matches that with its sad moments and tissues are an absolute must. I would also definitely not suggest this film to anyone going on a first, second or even third date. If you’re going to watch this film with your other half, or a friend I’m going to say you should be comfortable with each other because it will make you do the ugly kind of crying, and you’ll give yourself a tension headache trying to fight those tears!

The film also pays attention to John Green’s beautiful writing, effortlessly bringing them to life with the use of Hazel’s voice over, as well as a few lines from Gus, which for me, just added to the experience even more, making it even more beautiful.  

But the thing I liked most about the film, is that it stayed very close to the books main morals (from my own reading) and portrayed them through it. It’s not just a film about ‘cancer’, its about how these young people are dealing with cancer, in their own lives. How they are normal people trying to have as much of a normal life as they can. It makes you appreciate the people you have in your life more. It lets you put yourself in the film, and makes you need everyone you love around you. These characters are portrayed with such an effortless normality that you genuinely forget that you are watching a film. Much like I forgot I was reading a book when I read it. The film is such a beautiful story, that it needs to be shared. The relationship between Gus and Hazel is so realistic as well, there isn’t the dramatic argument that couples in these films so regularly have. And I liked that, I liked that these were two normal people who had a mostly normal (to a point) relationship. The film blends the beautiful roller coaster experience that you get with the book perfectly; one minute you’re crying, the next your laughing through your tears.

It truly is a beautiful piece of cinema that is easy to fall in love with, and like Gus says; “I know that love is just a shout into the void” but I’m going to be shouting about this film for years.

Review: Frozen

Okay, okay, so I’m a bit late to the ‘Frozen’ party, but better late than never and in this case it was more than worth the wait!

I’m a massive Disney fan. I grew up watching all the classics like the Lion King, Hercules, Aladdin, you know the ones. My favourite Disney film ever is Beauty and the Beast. So, I got pretty excited when I found out that Disney were reformulating the classic princess fairy tale formula, bringing it back with Princess and the Frog back in 2009. Admittedly, I haven’t seen it yet, but I did manage to get round to seeing Tangled, and more recently, Frozen.

I didn’t really know a lot about the film before I came to watch it, I’d seen the trailer once or twice and knew the songs from having them sung at me from different people. A few people had told me that I needed to see it, and about twenty minutes into the movie I knew why. It’s one of those films that’s just really easy to watch. At the heart of it, it is a Disney film. It has hugely likable characters, a charming leading princess, and an inspirational lesson at the core, with a happy ending.

The story pretty much follows the Disney tradition of its fairy tales. It was funny, entertaining, enjoyable and just really easy to watch. Olaf was easily my favourite character and had me in stitches for most of the movie. The only thing is I wish I’d watched it a bit earlier, and maybe seen it at the cinema. It’s kind of like watching a Christmas movie when it’s not Christmas, just feels a bit wrong. But it’s the perfect film for winter/Christmas time. I’ll definitely be cracking it out with a hot chocolate when its a bit colder! The film is also really pretty, in an kind of you forget that your watching animation kind of way. It’s really detailed and the time and effort that has gone into creating this whole ‘frozen’ landscape is amazing.

One of the main reasons I knew Frozen was so popular was from its dominance in the iTunes chart. Let It Go has been up in the top ten for a few weeks now, and accidentally clicking the preview whilst looking for other songs has lead to me being stuck with ‘let it go, let it gooooo’ in my head for a good few hours. After hearing snippets of the song and people singing it at work, I was looking forward to seeing it within the film. It didn’t disappoint. I’m not normally a huge fan of musicals, and can sometimes find the occasional musical numbers a bit cringe worthy, but I really liked this scene. It occurs when Elsa flees from her town because her secret powers have been revealed to everyone and she becomes an outcast. In this scene she embraces her differences and plays with her powers, becoming a sassy snow queen. You can’t help but like her and root for her really. Elsa is voiced by Idina Menzel, an incredible broadway performer. I think the fact that its her performing the character of Elsa really adds something to her character and her performance of Let It Go is just amazing vocally. Another enjoyable moment is Olaf’s solo, which had me pretty much crying with laughter!

I’d suggest this film to anyone who likes something thats easy to watch, light hearted, and just has good old Disney style morals to them that root back to just being a good, nice person and having good family values! I also really liked the ending, which was a bit of a twist on the traditional happy endings that are so often associated with fairy tales, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone so I’ll let you go and have a look for yourself!

Frozen was the perfect balance of melody, laughter, sadness and inspiration to have pretty much something for everyone in it. It’s enjoyable for kids, and easy to watch as adults. It’s full of Disney’s normal intelligence that still offers something to the adult viewer, without making you feel like your watching a kids film.

Even though the first section of the film is pretty heavily laden with musical numbers (which I’ll admit, did annoy me a little bit) you soon forget that as you follow Anna on her journey. The story really focuses on delivering good, strong messages about individuality, and how that should be celebrated and expressed, which is something I also really enjoyed about it. I think at the root of the film are really good messages about how to be a good person and in the case of Anna and Elsa, a good sister.

Have any of you guys seen Frozen yet? What did you think? Let me know! 🙂

5 Films Under a Fiver!

If you’re anything like me, then you won’t be able to help yourself when it comes to shopping online at Amazon. I can rarely bring myself to buy one item, and stalk my wish list for the most reduced item before I finally check out. What makes amazon even more amazing is the range of films you can purchase for under a fiver! So I thought I’d start a little feature, were I pick five random films from different genres every few months or so, that are under a fiver!

1) American Beauty (£3.40)  Possibly one of the best films ever, directed by Sam Mendes (who also did Skyfall) this film is so so good, and such a bargain buy! Even if you don’t end up liking it, its one of those films that you need to see in your lifetime. It’s a lot different to what I thought it would be but so worth the watch! Buy It 

2) Inception (£4.60)  Priced at £4.60 (since I last checked) this is a gem of a film for being under a fiver! Intelligent, stylish, and really very entertaining, its one of those films I wish I had seen at the cinema. It’s a classic Christopher Nolan film, filled with intricate details and plot twists, and of course it has Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy and Leonardo DiCaprio in it, what more could you want? Buy It

3) When Harry Met Sally (£3.00)  Okay, so I couldn’t make this list without an absolute classic on it, and in this case it’s When Harry Met Sally, which comes in at £3.00. When Harry Met Sally is a classic romantic comedy, I’m sure you’ve heard it of it. Starring Meg Ryan and Billie Crystal, it’s an absolute bargain and makes for a very cheap cosy night in! Buy it 

4) Sin City (£2.99) An awesome, awesome film, particularly if you like crime/thriller kind of films, as well as the film noir style of the 1940s/50s. This film blends the classic noir style with a fresh, modern day twist to create a sophisticated neo noir. Plus it has an amazing cast, and the second film is coming out soon! Buy It

5) I Love You Man (£4.14) One of my most recent bargains from Amazon, its definitely worth the money. I wouldn’t really pay anymore than a fiver for it, but its a good old bromance with two of the greatest people in the world starring in it; Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, than in itself makes it an already pretty awesome movie. It’s also pretty funny. Buy It   Are there any other films under a fiver that you guys know about? Feel free to share in the comments! Please Note: At the time of publishing these films were as priced, the price may vary depending on what you look at them! 🙂

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Okay, so I’m probably the worst film fan ever. I don’t really find out about new films coming out until a week before, and the trailers that I sit and watch on YouTube end up being for films that are already out on DVD. Saying that though, I do try and keep up to date with whats on at the cinema. However, in this case (and the case of The Fault in Our Stars…..20th of June people!) I knew about Spider-Man. This is partly because I love the first film, but also partly because I am in love with Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield. So, for the first time in my life, I actually saw a film the day it came out!

I have a sort of love/hate relationships with Super Hero films, and I’m a bit picky about the ones that I watch, but I do love me some Spider-Man (the new ones though, not the Toby McGuire ones, but that’s for another day…) I love Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of the superhero, and I love the mix of teenage high school boyish comedy mixed with the seriousness and responsibility of Spider-Man. So my expectations were high, but I feel that the film absolutely delivered.

It’s directed again by Marc Webb, who also directed one of my favourite films, (500) Days of Summer, which I think helps with the relationship between Peter and Gwen as well as the comedic elements throughout the film. I also felt like this time there was more character development between the two of them. The film both starts as they are graduating from high school, and by the end, particularly Peter’s character has come on more of a journey I think than the last one.

The film also briefly touches upon the ‘super-hero debate’ that occurs so regularly in these films, which did grate on me a little bit. It wasn’t really something that was explored massively in the film, so fell a bit short, but there wasn’t really any need for it to become a huge plot line. There is a round of news reports that focus on the idea that Spider-Man is just a menace, not really helping New York, needs to butt out of everyones business, you know the kind of the story right? I just found it a bit irritating, but it is kind of necessary to give the film more of a political grounding maybe?

One of the things that I love most about Webb’s Spider-Man films is the cinematography, its absolutely stunning, and the second film is no exception. The film utilises the use of slow-mo perfectly to convey Spider-Man’s ‘spidey sense’ which makes for some absolutely incredible scenes, particularly one in time square (you’ll know what I mean when you see it if you haven’t already). I also enjoy watching Spider-Man fly through New York, and the shots from his point of view are just amazing. I literally can’t fault them, and enjoying waiting to see where the next ones are coming from.

Another thing that I enjoyed about the film was the villains. I find sometimes some villains can be a bit far fetched, like Loki in the Avengers. But Electro in this film is absolutely terrifying. The villains motives are very human, and their evil comes from pure human emotion, that everyone sort of has inside of them, or has the capability to feel. It’s scary! Of course, like the other villains, Electro is a bit of an accident, but I won’t tell you why, you’ll have to go watch it! But the evil that forms from this accident is just unreal. Once Jamie Foxx is unchained, he makes for a very convincing and scary  villain.

The film also nicely ties up some stuff about Peter’s family which is also good. It might be worth watching the first one a few days or so before you go to see the second, I wish I had, just because the film pretty much picks up right from where the other left, so it would have been good to be in the same mind set. It might also be worth taking some tissues with you, because not only is this film visually stunning, but the acting is incredible, and I found myself crying about three or four times throughout the film. I don’t think you really expect overly moving performances in a super-hero film, so it was a bit of a shock to me and my tear ducts!

Overall, I would say this film is a must see, particularly if you are a fan of the first Spider-Man film. It’s definitely getting pre-ordered by me when it comes out on DVD, and I’m very tempted to go see it again at the cinema.

What did you think of The Amazing Spider-Man 2? Let me know!

Review: Saving Mr Banks

Saving Mr Banks is one of those films that when it came out at the cinema, I was desperate to see it, but never had the chance. Now that I’ve watched it on DVD, I really wish I’d made more of an effort to experience it in the cinema. It’s directed by John Lee Hancock, who directed The Blind Side, another amazing film. It’s a film about how Walt Disney obtained the rights of Mary Poppins from author, P.L Travers. It’s heartwarming, emotional, and really very funny. 

Mrs Travers is an impossible women, and holds on to her beloved Mary Poppins with a tight grip. As the story unfolds we learn more about Mrs Travers and why she is the way she is. The story takes place during 1961, and then flashbacks to Travers’ past in 1901. It’s interesting to watch her childhood and make the connections with how Mary Poppins was formed as a story and a character from her point of view.  

As an avid Disney fan I knew I was going to like it, and I loved Tom Hanks’ portrayal of Walt Disney. It was pretty much perfect, from what I’ve seen in documentaries and learnt from Uni. The film completely dedicated itself to its era (the 1960s and 1900’s) in both America, Australia and England. The sets were flawless and Disneyland in the 60s looked amazing! Emma Thompson’s portrayal of P.L Travers was also highly entertaining, her englishness leaps off the screen and her attention to correct grammar and English language made for some very funny scenes. 

Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson and P.L Travers

Another character I couldn’t help but fall in love with was Ralph, Mrs Travers’ driver. His ‘americanisisms’ bounce off the ‘Englishness’ of Travers and he is a genuinely heartwarming character that I grew to love every time he came on screen. The friendship that grows between the two characters is a strange, but lovely one.  

It was also interesting to see how they incorporated the pre-production element of Mary Poppins into the film, with the script writers developing ideas and writing the musical pieces. It was fun to recognize the songs that I knew so well from my childhood be written for the ‘first time’, the demonstration of ‘Let’s Go Fly a Kite’ was particularly enjoyable.

It definitely made me want to dig Mary Poppins out of my video collection again! The film also went further than that, and combined elements from Mary Poppins, to the life of Travers which at times was very moving. It linked everything together perfectly and made for a highly satisfying conclusion. 

It’s one of those films that if you either love anything Disney or Mary Poppins related, you’ll love it. Or, if you love Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks, then you’ll love it too, because their performances are flawless. It made me laugh, cry and remember my childhood fondly. What more could you want in a film? 

Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Okay, so it’s been a while. But I’ve been a bit busy with Uni work and working, and haven’t actually had any time to watch any films other than the ones that are a part of my degree. But after handing in a ton of work recently, me and my housemate decided it was time to take a trip to the cinema, and watch a film we didn’t have to think about too much, so we picked The Grand Budapest Hotel. 

First off, I went into this film knowing pretty much nothing about it. I knew that it had an ‘all star cast’ and that it was a comedy, but other than that, not a clue. It’s directed by Wes Anderson, and this was the first time I’d seen one of his films (and it won’t be the last!). 

Having gone into the screening not knowing anything, I was pretty surprised. The film made me properly belly laugh/almost-spluttered-my-water-into-the-head-of-the-guy-infront. It was surprisingly hilarious, but the kind of funny you don’t expect. I love comedies that don’t rely on slapstick and instead focus on clever writing and flawless delivery, The Grand Budapest Hotel did just that. 

Ralph Fiennes steals the show with an absolutely amazing performance of M. Gustave, the slightly eccentric but legendary concierge at the hotel. The story is a little bit silly, but doesn’t seem so when you’re watching the film. It’s only after talking about it that you realise how random it really is, but that shouldn’t put you off.  

As a film student though, I have to mention the cinematography. Oh, my wow. It’s stunning. It’s such a stylistically pleasing film, most of the shots are framed centrally, with the characters sitting in the middle, and a lot of ‘to camera’ acting is done here, which I found to be really effective as an audience member. It made it really engaging, and was a bit different to anything I’ve watched recently. The other shots of the hotel itself in it’s ‘hay day’ are just amazing. I desperately wish it was real because I want to go there! The colours are so vibrant and vivid, its stunning. 

So, overall, I would say go to see this film if you’re looking for something a bit different, and maybe a little bit quirky. Its a film to be appreciated, particularly the cinematography. But the acting is incredible, and it is a genuinely hilarious film, so if your just looking for a few hours of escapism, then this is your film!