The Lucky One- European Premiere

Last night, I was lucky enough to have tickets for the European Premiere of The Lucky One held at The Curzon in Chelsea. My lovely sister, Annie works in Film and Entertainment PR and managed to wangle us 3 cheeky tickets to see Mr Efron in the flesh so I went with two of my best friends. I am partial to a good rom-com and was really looking forward to a bit of cheeky celeb spotting so all in all, I was pretty gosh darn excited!

The premiere itself was pretty low-key with the director (Scott Hicks), author (Nicholas Sparks) and two main characters (Zac Efron and Taylor Shilling) making small announcements before the screening but unfortunately, as soon as they finished talking, they left!

So, now on to the film. 


The film is based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, and if you've seen any other film based on a Sparks book (The Notebook), you will know what to expect- particularly, some pretty corny lines like, "You should be kissed every day, every hour, every minute." I am mocking it, but I love those lines. Why don’t people ever actually say stuff like that anymore? I may be a ridiculous romantic at heart but come on people, keep romance alive and crack out the corny lines!


The Lucky One tells the story of Logan (Efron), a Marine who, while serving in Iraq, stops to pick up a snapshot of a pretty woman (Beth) that’s been left on the ground with the message “Keep Safe x” on the back; that moment’s pause saves his life from an overwhelming explosion which wipes out the majority of his platoon, so he determines that when he returns home he is going to track the woman down and thank her. 


Having made it out of the war, Logan then decides to go on a walkabout to find the woman in the picture.  After traveling on foot from Colorado to Louisiana to find her — a task that seems incredibly easy, given the lack of clues in the photo — he then somehow can’t bring himself to explain why he’s there.  


I won’t elaborate on the plot points but I will mention that the predictability of the storyline is somewhat saved by the efforts of the cast. Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling make the perfect couple and the onscreen chemistry is rather enthralling to watch. I would also note that Blythe Danner’s performance of Beth’s slightly eccentric grandmother is stunning and familiar, reminding me of my own Nan. The star of the show for me was actually Riley Thomas Stewart who played Beth’s young son Ben. He felt like the most natural character on the screen and acted out some incredible witty scenes which got a fair few laughs in the premiere. 


I would also mention that the scene of a rather racy nature is quite superb. The tension leading up to it is cleverly thought out and the fact that Zac Efron has blossomed into a somewhat muscly strapping fellow was rather pleasing to the eye- he has most definitely been on the protein shakes and hit the gym hard. I would definitely disagree with the rating and would say that it was perhaps a little racy and also quite violent at times. 


All in all, a great romcom. A little predictable but great none-the-less. This is an emotional, visual and romantic screenplay that will likely stay with you for some time. If you loved The Notebook and Dear John, you will LOVE The Lucky One. And Zac Efron (even though he is rather short in real life…).


Check out the trailer here:

Peace,
O x

These are a few of my favourite things...

We are not talking about Raindrops on Roses or Whiskers on Kittens here, but instead I thought I would share some of my favourite things from the last few weeks- a small selection of products, places and general niceties that I have discovered whilst roaming the streets of London.

First up is the Travalo (in a very girly shade of pink!). I discovered this bad boy when I was passing through Duty Free and I have since found it rather hard to live without. It is the perfect size to just pop in your handbag and you can change the scent as often as you want! It also has an integrated fill level indicator window to show how much fragrance you have left, so you never run out unexpectedly. The best thing about it, is that it is AIRCRAFT APPROVED!

It retails at around £6.99 and comes in 5 different colours. I would most definitely recommend it.

Secondly, is the lovely Monmouth Coffee shop (Covent Garden branch). I was absolutely delighted to go to this little gem last weekend after hearing that it was mentioned in Stylist’s Top Coffee in London. We went on a Saturday afternoon which I thought would be crowded, but we waited a mere 5 minutes for the table and got seated by extremely pleasant hosts. The actually coffee shop has such charm and wonder to it. It's oaky interior make it feel warm but it's all the people clustered inside around the register and communal tables that bring it to life. There is very limited seating but it is most definitely worth the wait!

Next up is the wonderful Saucy Fish Co products. I am currently on a low carb diet so in the evenings I tend to not have potatoes and stick to meat/fish and veg. This has been made increasingly easy by the wonderful products by The Saucy Fish Company which provide fabulous cuts of fish with scrumptious sauces to accompany it. They are currently on special offer at Sainsburys, a mere £5 for 2- I have stocked up for about a month, ha! Definitely advise trying them for a flavoursome, healthy and cost-effective dinner.

Lastly, is the new Burberry Sheer Summer Glow Highlighter. Unfortunately, it is not released yet but I did just read about it and it looks absolutely incredible. I have been looking for a combination highlighter for a while and this one has the EXACT shades I am looking for. Although I cannot comment on how it looks on, I will most certainly be purchasing when it is released in May. It is rumoured be retail at around £42 and can be found in Harrods and House of Fraser stores across the UK.

Peace,

O x

Film review: The Help

I had heard a lot about The Help before I finally got around to watching it even though I bought a copy of the book months ago which shamelessly sits on my shelf, brand new and completely unread. I get annoyed if I hear too much about a certain film- it puts me off watching it. One of my favourite things to do is to view a film which I know nothing about- except for maybe the title. I find it exciting to guess and build a picture in my mind, only to be completely corrected when I actually watch the film. Unfortunately, I knew a great deal about the film and had read various reviews beforehand but one Sunday night, I decided that it was time to make my own opinion up about a film that has got somewhat ‘mixed’ reviews.

 

The Help is based on Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel and tells the story of racial discrimination in 1960’s Alabama, from the point of view of the help. A young aspiring journalist, named Eugenia Phelan “Skeeter” (played by Emma Stone), is born into a very wealthy family and sits within a friendship group who base their lives around marrying into another wealthy family, having children and then hiring help in the form of African-American maids/nannies. Unlike the women in her social circle, Eugenia is inquisitive, bold and career driven. As an aspiring journalist, she notices the poignant role that the help take in the children’s lives yet the sheer lack of praise and respect for what they do. Eugenia becomes increasingly unsettled with what she is witnessing and decides to write a controversial book from the view of the help. After a struggle, she manages to find a couple of African-American maids, Aibileen (Viola Davis) and Minny (Octavia Spencer), who are willing to share their stories with her. The story is narrated by Aibileen, who is the real protagonist of the film.

The Help is a bit of a whirlwind of emotions. I found myself happy, sad, frustrated, angry and most of all dumbfounded that all of these events were very much real- it really hit home how times have changed. The film follows very simplistic fundamentals of film making and in my opinion they have done a wonderful job. The casting is flawless, the script is well structured and the pacing is good -it never feels slow despite being over two hours! The themes of the film are very obviously spelled out and there’s a very clear definition between who they have positioned as good and who they have positioned as evil.

The characters were casted incredibly well and had me engaged from the word go. The delightful Emma Stone makes for a great lead. Her slightly nerdy nature and outsider qualities really appeal to those of us who have a slightly insecure part of our personalities. In my opinion, the real stars here were Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer who take a couple of rather stereotyped black maids and turn them into strong, bold and aspiring females. I also rather admired Sissy Spacek in her rather cameo role of the old mother of one of Eugenia’s most awful friends.

It is a very thought-provoking film, and although simple and obvious at times, it has really positioned itself well because it appeals to a broad audience. It is very much a woman’s movie however, instead of incorporating the very obvious elements of a chick flick or rom-com, it positions women in a very different light, which I found very refreshing. All of the main characters are women and the film itself is set in a woman’s world, leaving the men in the background of the storylines.

Overall  verdict:

The Help is simple and effective. It manages to educate and inform but in a refreshing way that challenges the normal conventions of films of this genre. I can definitely see what the hype is about and would most definitely recommend it to anyone who was considering giving it a watch.

If you like Forrest Gump, you will love this.

If you like Iron Man, you will probably not like this.

A solid 8.5/10

If this has inspired you, perhaps check out the trailer:

Peace,

O x