Guns in the Afternoon as far as I am aware is the only western film club in the UK run by (in their own words) self-proclaimed western nuts Russ and Jon. Their mission is: 'to put on the big screen every six weeks the westerns that have long since been forgotten and bring the genre to forefront of peoples minds.'
I will admit that I am not a huge western film fan, but thought I would go along with the boyfriend as his friend Russ is one of the organisers.
The film this month was The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. A 1948 film written and directed by the great John Huston, who also directed Katherine Hepburn and Bogart in The African Queen and Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable in The Misfits, Gable's last film before he died.
It is a film adaptation of B. Traven's 1927 novel of the same name. It focuses on two Americans Fred D. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) during the 1920s in Mexico who join old-timer Howard (Walter Huston, the director's father), to prospect for gold. They find a bit of land with gold and set about protecting it from Mexican bandits and then from each other as they start to suspect each other of trying to con the others out of the gold and finally money.
You can't beat a bit of Bogart but his suave and clean cut persona as seen in Casablanca wasn't the case here, he is down on his luck, unshaven and a bit unkempt, his cool and calm persona is also a little absent as Dobbs starts to get very paranoid about those around him. This film shows you a side of Bogart that you never get to see but is very convincing and shows that he is not a character actor but quite diverse.
A film well worth a watch if it's on on a cold and wet Sunday afternoon.
Now the film club, the cinema is quite small but a load of two seater sofas, fantastic and a nice change from the boring seats in multiplexes. The film club is a great idea, the cinema has a bar down stairs so you can have a drink after and chat about the film. Tickets at £10 and you get the film, popcorn, trivia sheet and entry in a raffle.
If you are interested in attending the August club email either Russ and Jon at either russbish@hotmail.com or costello120@hotmail.com for details.
http://www.theexhibit.co.uk/
So last Saturday I fulfilled one of my childhood dreams and actually saw all five members of the greatest boy band ever to grace the world....Take That.
I had seen Take That the four of them when they did the come back tour and saw Robbie on his solo tour in the same year so it was similar to seeing all five, although nothing could compare to actually seeing all five performing together.
The way the show worked was the four lads came out and sung a few songs, the crowd were luke warm, they enjoyed it but as soon as Robbie came out to Let Me Entertain You the place erupted! It was the moment everyone had been waiting for. Take That have done a few tours over the past few years but when you think Robbie's tour was nearly 6 years ago, many fans probably thought they would never see him in concert again. He was on top form, and showed/reminded everyone of the true entertainer he is and he did not disappoint.
After this set Take That reformed the famous five and started with the Flood, with an actual flood on the huge wall with dancers on rope going up and down. All five together was just magical! I knew they would be good but they were better than I expected.
Everything about it was a show, the stage was huge and had a 60ft man who came out and stood up. It was just phenomenal! These boys know how to put on a show.
They also pulled out some of the old dance moves, singing Take That and Party and doing the running man. I was over the moon when Robbie sung Everything Changes and me and my friends sung our hearts out to the classics into Take That branded glow sticks.
There were over 80,000 people there and the atmosphere was just electric! Anyone who is a fan of Take That will just fall in love with the band again.
The band were note perfect and as much as he tried Gary Barlow was still crap at dancing, ala the nineties!
There was a fifteen year wait for this tour and it was worth everyday. I think I appreciated it more now than I would have when I was 10, I did love Take That in their heyday but my first big band were Spice Girls. Saying that Take That were just great!
However, I do have one criticism... ending with Eight Letters... Why? At the end of a concert the audience should be dancing out of the aisles but instead they walked back to the stage shaking people's hands, it was ok but it can't beat ending with Never Forget. Great guys but please don't break with tradition end with Never Forget!
They are off to Milan after Wembley so you will need to go over to Europe. I do love them together but I hope they don't milk the cash cow for too long so we all get fed up with them. But in the mean time... 'come on, come on, come on TAKE THAT AND PARTY!!'
Set List:
Rule The World
Greatest Day
Hold Up A Light
Patience
Shine
Let Me Entertain You
Rock DJ
Come Undone
Feel
Angels
The Flood
SOS
Underground
Machine
Kidz
Pretty Things
Million Love Songs
Babe
Everything Changes
Back For Good
Pray
Love Love
Never Forget
No Regrets
Relight My Fire
Eight Letters
I have had a busy couple of weeks which I am compiling at the moment into blog posts. One on the amazing Take That, one on a piece I wrote last year for the Chichester Observer, one on Guns in the Afternoon a Western film club. I think that's it but obviously I'll stagger the posting don't want to give away too much at once do I.
So first of all I thought I would do a brief piece on Glee. I saw it at the O2 at the end of June and it was amazing! All the gang were there and they performed for just over an hour which was a bit of a disappointment. They came out to Don't Stop Believing and did hit after hit, such as Slave 4 U, River Deep, Mountain High and Kurt and the girls did the Single Ladies dance.
Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Naya Rivera (Santana) have amazing voices, they can hit the right notes and have voices that can fill the whole of the O2 two fold.
Of course Lea Michelle (Rachel) has an amazing voice and I really think she would be a great Elphaba in Wicked. Really though I think it is a shame they didn't do Light up the World or Thriller/Heads will Roll. As they are some of the best songs over the two seasons.
The Warblers and Blaine made an appearance and although I didn't like them in the show (they freaked me out a bit) he was excellent live, such a great voice that it's a shame he doesn't get to sing more in the show.
Unfortunately Gwyneth Paltrow, Mr Schuh or Sue were there although there were videos of Mr Schuh and Sue which were hilarious.
Of course I have to save the best until last Brittany S. Pears (Heather Morriss) had comic timing to the second and when you see her dance live you can see how she has had a great career as a dancer on the I am.... Sasha Fierce World Tour with Beyonce, phenomenal.
Not as in depth as some gig reviews but Glee Live!
As I said in another post I was asked by one of my close friends to do a reading at her wedding and I agreed.
I was after the vows and just before they were pronounced husband and wife. I was so nervous, I really had to calm myself. I was called up and read it without sounding like Larry the Lamb. It was only when I took one of my hands away from holding the page my other hand was shaking uncontrollably. I looked up a couple of times at the happy couple to see their beaming faces. I managed to keep it together until the last line when I looked up and started to cry with happiness as I walked away.
I felt so honoured to do it, but I have no intention to do it again any time soon. I just hoped that I did my friend proud they both said thank you, people even came up to me after and said how well I did which was good.
It was a beautiful day and my friend was a beautiful bride. And the weather made it the perfect day.
Below is the reading I did, it is beautiful and very poetic although I cannot find it in the book...
'Love is a temporary madness,
it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision.
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together
that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness,
it is not excitement,
it is not the declaration of eternal passion.
That is just being "in love" which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away,
and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those that truly love, have roots that grow towards each other underground,
and when all the pretty blossom have fallen from their branches,
they find that they are one tree and not two.'
Since I started my new job I have had a busy few weeks. On my first day I saw The Rifles at Southampton, not ideal when you have a two hour commute, they were really good though.
It was fairly quiet for a bit then I had my friends hen weekend, cocktail making, clubbing and dinner at Jamie's Italian. For the first time I had a Cosmo and it was really tasty. We had a competition, racing how to make a cocktail, I raced the hen to make a 'woo woo' fairly easy vodka, schnapps and cranberry juice. I got very nervous and got most of the vodka on my hands, but we drew so I had to drink a flatliner... Tabasco, sambuca and tequila AWFUL! My mouth burnt. It was a really good weekend though.
Then the weekend after it was my birthday and Denis did the Stockholm marathon again, then it was my birthday and I spent the day with Denis just chilling.
It's been fairly quiet but last Wednesday I went to a gig at the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth. I saw Warpaint, a four piece girl band from America who I first heard on Fearne Cotton's show as part of the Music Generator. They played most of the songs from Fool album including Warpaint and Undertow, they were just beautiful live, such a harmony to their voices. They are not big at the moment but they will be. I could imagine them maybe being on a Twilight soundtrack some of their songs have a tortured quality to their songs that would fit perfectly alongside Paramore and Anya Marina. They are playing a lot of festivals so if you can go see them live make sure you do.
Then on Saturday I went and saw the matinee performance of Glee at the O2. I will admit I am a gleek! They played for about an hour and fifteen minutes which was a bit of a disappointment but overall they were really good. Amber Riley who plays Mercedes has a phenomenal voice and Santana (Naya Rivera) was exceptional, especially when they sung River Deep Mountain High. Lea Michelle was also amazing, her voice would not be out of place in Wicked, I really think she could play Elphaba in Wicked and be just a good as Idina Menzel. A bit different from Warpaint but more of a show than a gig and they were all really good.
On Sunday it was my friend's wedding but there will be a separate post on that.
I do love make-up.
I'm mostly about the eyes, I don't wear it day in day out but make a real effort when I go out.
As you know I have a wedding on Sunday and to treat myself I indulged on some make-up. I went to the Body Shop as I saw outside a board about Mineral make-up.
I went in and had a potter and a very helpful sales girl asked me what I was looking for, so I explained that I wanted good coverage but didn't like foundation as it makes me feel like my skin can't breathe and can be a gloppy. She then tried out the new minerals foundation and had me convinced.
It is a powder which you blend in with a foundation brush and it provides even coverage and a flawless finish. It goes to a cream-like finish not thick but light. It is amazing, I wore it all day today and it was great. It is SPF 25 so good for the sun, it is £16 but I think worth it, much better to spend that on something that looks good then £5 for something that gives tide marks and makes you look like an orange.
She matched my skin colour, she did half my face and asked what I liked, I did look weird but I think when buying something like foundation you should ask a make-up person to help you as even if the shop light isn't natural they can give you a better view that you trying it on your hand (don't do you skin colour is darker on your hand and different texture) or you hurry as you don't want to look like a shoplifter.
I will admit as well I bought a foundation brush, it makes me think if I have the tools I will be able to do the same end result as the shop girl. The brush is so soft.....
That's all I will say on that brush. I will give a review after the wedding as I will be putting it on myself but as far as when she did it was very good.
For those that would like to have a look here is the link....
http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/_en/_gb/catalog/product.aspx?ParentCatCode=C_Makeup&CatCode=C_Makeup_Face&prdcode=58039m
I am at the age when people I know or went to school are getting married and settling down. And next weekend is no except, next Sunday one of my closest friends is getting married and I am over the moon, I can't wait to see her walk down the aisle as I have yet to see her dress so it will be a surprise and I know she will be a beautiful bride.
Even though I am excited, I am also a teeny, tiny bit nervous as I am doing a reading. I feel very honoured to be involved but I am very nervous about it as I have not always been a big fan of public speaking. Over the past few months I have gained a lot confidence in going up to people and talking to strangers as in my job if you don't have the confidence to go up to someone then you are in the wrong job. So I feel a little more at ease with talking to a room of people.
I suppose I just feel the pressure of speaking at her wedding as it is a big day. And I really, really, really don't want to ruin it for her. I know the pressure is coming from me, but I just don't want to disappoint. I am reading a bit from Captain Corelli's a beautiful book and I am honoured, truly am to be part of her special day.
It occurred to me today that I might be a mess at the wedding. She is one of my closest and best friends and I know when I see her walking down the aisle I will be a happy crying mess! Waterproof mascara I think.
So wish me luck, I'm sure I will be fine and at the end of the day it will be over before I know it.
