Growing Up Is Hard To Do (Especially With A Baby Face)

THE VENICE FILM FESTIVAL: SPRING BREAKERS

Those of us who trawl the gossip blogs on a daily basis will be well aware of this film as we were constantly bombarded with candids from the set of Spring Breakers. At first everyone was shocked to see the tween queens cavorting around in neon bikinis and then interest turned to bemusement as candids of a James Franco in some K-Fed 2.0 get up hit the interweb. The IMDBers and other film lovers were anxious and excited to see what Harmony Korine was creating. I haven’t seen anything from him before (to be honest, I’ve never heard of him) but I have to say I was-and still am- intrigued as well. The consensus from critics at the festival seems to be that it is not as controversial as the on set pictures would suggest but it is a decent enough film.

However, all of this background chatter is kind of irrelevant for the tween queen’s as they will be hoping this film is the bridge for them to crossover into more adult roles- the life raft out of teeny bopper land. This is what fascinates me the most. I want them all to do well. I have a soft spot for Selena Gomez because, like me, she unfortunately has a baby face (well unfortunately for now anyway. She will be grateful for it in twenty years time, I’m sure). As a result, people are often quick to forget that she is actually twenty years old (it also doesn’t help that she is constantly papped with The Biebs). Therefore, it’s about time she starts to shed her Disney persona and begins to branch out. The same goes for Vanessa Hudgens who I often, inexplicably, feel sorry for. I think she was done over by the whole Zac Efron thing and it’s high time she got her chance to shine again. 

But enough amateur gossip analysis, onto the style transformations that solidifies this whole Time To Grow Up campaign. 

Selena Gomez attended the photocall with a nod to Autumn's luxurious brocade trend in a decadent Dolce & Gabbana number. She then glammed up in Atelier Versace for the premiere. Both looks are mature without being too try-hard. 

However, my favourite has to be Vanessa Hudgens. Such a nice surprise, particularly as she won this year's Fug Madness over at Go Fug Yourself. The Blumarine dress she wore for the photocall is elegant and very Emma Stone. Her bob has grown out nicely too. Every time I see this wavy do, I'm tempted to head down to my hairdressers. Yet, it is the gorgeous Temperley London dress she wore to the premiere that is my absolute favourite. It is definitely one of the best dresses I have seen this week. Ah, good old Temperley London. 

But for now, good luck Selena, Vanessa and Ashley- may the odds be ever in your favour. Will you be watching Spring Breakers?

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

Luckily I received my advanced copy from The Reading Room just before I left for holiday. Being on holiday, I started The Girl You Left Behind with the intention of taking things slowly, reading a few chapters a day, however I soon found myself sucked into Sophie’s world and then Liv and the painting came along and my initial plan dissolved. 

First and foremost, I do not read many novels set during the First World War (or any war for that matter) so I do not have much with which I could compare The Girl You Left Behind. However, I thought it was a wonderfully crafted novel and Jojo Moyes cleverly balanced the historical perspective with a wonderful story of love and loss. I felt like I learnt a lot about a period I should probably know more about. 

I loved all the characters at the beginning in France. Jojo Moyes really created a community full of colourful characters against such a grim background. I particularly enjoyed Sophie’s memories about meeting her husband in Paris. Also, I was immediately on Sophie’s side because of her name- childlike and narcissistic, I know, but I could not help it. 

The time shift was a bit of a bump in the road the first time it occurred. I didn’t really connect to Liv at first and even throughout the novel my feelings toward to Liv wavered between cold to lukewarm. However, that was neither here nor there once the real story was properly introduced through Paul and his work for TARP. 

I have read a few books and seen a few television shows where the subject of the stolen art during WWII has been addressed and it is something that really interests me. Here, the story changed from one of survival and love to the greater themes of justice and restitution and even selfishness. Throughout the second half, I was constantly asking myself what I would do if I were in Liv’s position. I thought the court scenes were very well written, constantly juxtaposing the real fate of Sophie and the modern day lawyers using the relevant parts of the truth to win the case. 

Overall, it was quite a complex story- more so than I expected if I am truly honest and for this reason I could even overlook the ending. It is a novel that can be enjoyed by a broad spectrum of readers- I would not hesitate to recommend this to my 16 year old cousin or my mother. 

I am now going to find some more literature on the stolen artwork of WWII, try again to read Me Before You, and also buy a copy of The Girl You Left Behind for my friend.

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

I have had this book on both my Goodreads to-read shelf and my actual bookshelf for quite a while (thanks to Em). I was prompted to pluck it off the shelf by Laineygossip and I’m glad that I did. I do love a good family dramedy so this book was right up my street and now I cannot think why I took so long to finally pick it up.

When we are first introduced to Judd, he has just lost his father to cancer and his wife to his manager. He has also found out that, apparently, his father’s dying wish was for his family to sit shiva. Over the seven days of mourning, Judd clashes with his mother and siblings (all of whom have their own emotional baggage), reconnects with old friends and flames, and attempts to get over his cheating wife who just will not go away (with good reason). On top of all of this, he tries to work through his grief. The combination of these elements produces a tumultuous yet hilarious, touching, and slightly cringeworthy tale.

I have never read a Jonathan Tropper novel but after reading this I immediately bought the Kindle edition of How To Talk To A Widower . I noted that a few other reviewers lamented his cinematic style of writing but as a film and television addict, I connected with his vivid, dialogue heavy prose. I could picture all of the characters and more importantly, for me anyway, I could hear their voices. Therefore, I am not surprised that a film adaptation is in the works. For what it's worth, I pictured Malin Akerman as Jen so hopefully that’s who she’s playing. I'm not too sure about Zac Efron as, presumably, Phillip. I had a Franco- at least a Franco voice- in that role whilst reading. However, the proof will be in the pudding.

Overall, I think this novel successfully conveyed the message that you never know what is around the corner, so take time to take stock and make good with those who mean the most to you, even though life isn't always what we thought it would be. Schmaltzy but true.

★ ★ ★ ★

This Is Where I’ll Leave You music: 

Novocaine For The Soul- Eels 

Penelope Cruz, W Magazine, and Eyebrows

Photographers: Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot; Stylist: Edward Enninful; Makeup: Charlotte Tilburty; Hair: Pablo Iglesias

First of all, this cover is AHMAHZING (in the words of my second favourite Penny). It is my favourite of the September issues and therefore deserves a dedicated post. I don’t think I’ve ever purchased W as it is not always the easiest to come across in my part of the world. However, I am going to hunt this issue down when I head into London next week.

Penelope looks strong, sophisticated and beautiful as always. The general consensus seems to be that it oozes 90's Supermodel and I completely agree. It’s not about the clothes or the makeup (even though they work by being subtly genius), it is all about Penelope. The hair, the steely eyes, the EYEBROWS are all saying ‘Si, I am fabulous, and what?’. When I look at it, I can totally hear that Stella Artois advert.

Now, back to the eyebrows. The other day, whilst fuelling my gossip blog addiction by trawling through Celebitchy, I was drawn to this discussion on Lily Collins’ eyebrows. Now, as someone with an unintentional statement brow, I had never really noticed Lily’s but apparently for some of the pluckers out there it has been an ongoing debate. I think her eyebrows are great! Much more interesting and fashion forward than the purposefully non-existent style, however that is just my own biased opinion. Why should she ‘tame’ her brows? Beauty is wholly subjective so do whatever floats your boat. Can you tell this is a bit of a raw spot for me?

Anyway, sweetie darling Penelope shows all of us full eyebrowed followers of fashion how to work it. Someone in the comments of the Celebitchy post later said (and I am paraphrasing from memory) that they didn’t understand the hoo-ha because bold eyebrows had been a thing in Europe for yonks. As a European, I guess this is true and is the reason why I had never considered the Lily Collins eyebrow debate before. In fact, I think hair in general is treated differently on the continent but that’s a worthwhile debate for another day.

For the time being, enjoy Penelope in all her fierce amazingness.

Such A Rush by Jennifer Echols

I enjoyed Going Too Far and Forget You, so I guess I am a Jennifer Echols fan. Her books are easy to read with interesting characters and Southern settings, which makes for some fun voice work in my head. Such A Rush was no different and I devoured it in two days.

Leah is a high school senior who has moved from one trailer park to another with her often absent mother. The one constant in her life is her love of planes. After getting a job at the airport next to her trailer park, she is finally taught to fly by her boss and mentor Mr Hall. Unfortunately, Mr Hall passes away suddenly and his twin sons take over the family business. As expected, there is tension galore between the twins and Leah- well with one twin in particular- and she finds herself in compromising situations regularly. That is, until both her and the twins start being real with each other and the truth allows them to begin dealing with their grief properly.

First of all, I appreciated that Leah wasn’t your typical YA heroine. She wasn’t particularly clever, or witty, or rich but she knew what she wanted. I thought Grayson was an interesting character too. The owning up to responsibilities storyline was well drawn out and the writing was good as it was possible to sometimes feel the weight on his shoulders. Alec’s and Molly’s characters were not particularly well fleshed out but Leah and Grayson’s chemistry overshadowed that. Similarly, Mark was probably not needed in the story at all. The ending was a little predictable but then again it was nice to see Leah do something normal for once and get a teenage experience.

Overall, a good read if you like your angsty boy-meets- troubled girl YA with a smidgen of sass. I read this on my Kindle and found the formatting to be fine (much better layout than The Fall).

★ ★ ★ ★

Even though Grayson supposedly listened to obscure indie music, Alec loved country and Molly and Leah talked like they listened to a lot of Pitbull and T-Pain, I actually listened to a lot of power ballads and classic rock on Spotify whilst reading this:
Can't Fight This Feeling-REO Speedwagon
Up Where We Belong- Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes