FILM NIGHT - PRISONERS (2013) REVIEW

THIS REVIEW IS SPOILER FREE

Last night, I went to the cinema to go and watch Prisoners - I have to admit, it was completely on a whim. I had watched the trailer before I went, but that was all I had really heard of it. In any case, I've decided to do a review of the film in case anyone is interested in watching it. (On a side note, if you live in the UK and there is a Showcase cinema in your area, I highly recommend that you apply online for a Showcase Insider card - it only costs £5 for an adult ticket on Sunday evenings.)

The premise of the film sounds rather like Taken - however, there is far less action in an attempt to make the film more realistic. Prisoners chronicles Keller Dover's (Hugh Jackman) search for his young daughter and her friend after they are snatched away on Thanksgiving. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is assigned to the case, an immediately stumbles upon an RV that was seen on the street just before the girls disappearance. The driver of the truck, Alex Jones (Paul Dano), is taken into police custody on suspicion of abducting the two girls - however, a lack of incriminating evidence means that Alex is set free. The news of his release infuriates Kellen, who decides to take matters into his own hands by kidnapping Alex and torturing him for information.

Take caution when watching, as the pace of the film is very slow and there is very little action. Depending on the viewer, this will evoke a different response - personally, I like slow paced films provided that the long build up is rewarded with an exciting or shocking climactic point. The strange thing about Prisoners is that, unlike most slow-paced thrillers, this doesn't happen. Instead, there is a climax at the very beginning of the film when the girls get kidnapped, a very long lull in action and as the plot progresses throughout the middle of the film, and another smaller climax at the end. One of the factors that keeps the viewing interesting is the acting - both Jackman and Gyllenhaal are very good in this film. Keller Dover is portrayed by Jackman as almost an anti-hero, as he decides to try and speed the investigation up by using brute force. The brutality that is portrayed in the torture scenes is quite frightening at times, although I expect that the graphic violence probably contributes to this. Gyllenhaal's performance as Detective Loki is probably the stand-out within the film, as the character is cold and caring at the same time.

One of the things that struck me about Prisoners is the total lack of music throughout the film. There are certain points (the typical thriller scenario where one person points a gun at the other) where the effect of what was being shown on screen would have been so much more shocking had there have been a score. If anything can be taken from this, it is the influence of music in film should not be underestimated. 

Overall, I would probably give the film a 5.5 or 6 out of ten - there are points when the plot gets close to stagnation but is saved by new details that are added to the plot. The cinematography is well done yet functional but the lack of music prevents the more shocking scenes from having as much of a punch as they could have done.

I hope you've enjoyed this little review - expect more film reviews on the cards, as there are lots of exciting new films that I'd like to watch and review in the near future.

- Kate Shortt -

FOOD FOR THOUGHT - OREO BROWNIES

I thought that I would spend my Friday evening by baking brownies, since baking is one of my favorite pastimes. I confess that this is not actually my brownie recipe - a week or two ago I was watching some cookery shows on television and found this recipe by Lorraine Pascale. Nevertheless, this remains one of my favourite recipes for brownies because of the gooey-ness of the finished product (although depending on how long they're baked for depends on how gooey they are to suit anyone's brownie preferences).

INGREDIENTS:
165g (5 and a half oz.) of butter
200g (7 oz.) of dark chocolate
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
165g (5 and a half oz.) of soft light brown sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of plain flour
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
A pinch of salt
1 packet of Oreo (or cookies and cream) biscuits

METHOD:
- Make sure that everything is ready before you begin making the mixture - preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius (350 degrees fahrenheit) gas mark six - make sure the middle tray of the oven is ready. Grease a baking tin (20cm squared is a good size) so that the brownies come easily out when cooked.

- Put the butter into a saucepan and heat gently so that it melts. When it has finished melting, take the pan off of the heat and add in all of the chocolate mixture - the heat of the butter will melt the chocolate.

- Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. The mixture should become aerated and fluffy. Add in the sugar in two additions, making sure to pour it in around the side of the bowl so as not to knock the air out of the egg mixture. Keep whisking until the mixture becomes stiffer.

- Pour the chocolate and butter mix into the egg and sugar mixture. Again, pour the it in around the side of the bowl.

- Add in the cocoa, flour, and salt and whisk the mixture one final time. Break up the biscuits and then add between one third and a half (I personally prefer adding half) of the biscuits into the mixture. Stir until everything is fully combined.

- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Use the rest of the biscuits to add on top of the mixture, making sure to push some of them down so that they stick to the top of the brownies properly.

- Bake in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes, depending on how gooey you want the brownies to be - the longer you cook them, the gooier they will be. When they have cooked, leave them to cool before cutting them into brownie-sized pieces.


I cannot recommend this brownie recipe enough - it has become a firm family favorite, and for good reason. The brownies are lovely and gooey, and the crunchiness of the biscuits creates a nice contrast - but be warned! They won't last long if other people try them...

- Kate Shortt -

RECOMMENDED READS - WINTER'S BONE

(This post is spoiler free!)

Yesterday, I finished reading Daniel Woodrell's eighth novel entitled Winter's Bone. I decided to read this prior to watching the film (which I admit that I haven't gotten round to watching yet) because I always like to compare the adaptation to its source material. Since I haven't watched the film, this post is purely focusing on the novel and the aspects of it that I enjoyed.

The plot of Winter's Bone focuses on a teenage girl named Ree Dolly, who lives in a small village deep within the mountains of Missouri. After her father goes missing for some time, Ree decides to search for him - however, asking the wrong questions in her neck of the woods can lead to violent beatings and even death. Her father's disappearance coincides with a court sentence - if he does not attend, the family risks losing their home and their land. Ree's search is for her father and in the hope that she can save her home from being snatched away.

Firstly, I think it is appropriate to call this novel a slow burner; Ree's questioning of the other residents of the area accounts for a good portion of the novel. There isn't a great deal of action for most of the novel, but what is remarkable is how easily Woodrell imposes the strong sense of threat to the reader without much physicality. This helps to keep the tension of the story highly strung, which effectively creates foreboding throughout the entirety of the novel. While the lack of action may sound dull to some, the short length of the novel (it is around 190 pages long) means that much of the content is compacted - there is never a sense that the events are being drawn out for too long.

The style of writing itself is quite interesting - Woodrell uses a third person limited narrator. The narrative isn't from the perspective of Ree yet details are limited so that it appears as though the narrator follows Ree around. It is this use of narrator that really helps to create an air of intrigue, as the reader discovers more of what happened as Ree does. This means that, when the climax of the novel is reached (I won't reveal what it is!), it comes as quite a surprise to the reader.

Finally, the characters of Winter's Bone are constructed in such a way that you never really know their motives until the very end of the novel. Ree as a protagonist makes the book quite poignant, as there is almost a sense of admiration for her tenacity - especially when you consider the risks that she takes and how old she is. 

Overall, I would thoroughly recommend Winter's Bone to anyone - it isn't too long or difficult to read, but it is both a satisfying and thought-provoking.

- Kate Shortt - 

AUTUMN NAIL POLISH PICKS

As is evident by the droplets on the window pane in the picture above, the weather in England has taken a turn for the worse - it's safe to say that summer has come and gone this year. With that in mind, I decided to pick out some of my favourite nail polish shades for the autumn months, owing to the time of year and the cold weather.

REVLON COLORSTAY NAIL ENAMEL IN SPANISH MOSS

The colour of this particular polish is not quite a moss green as its name suggests - the shade is sort of a mixture between a mid-tone green shade and grey. The result is that the colour is not too bold or bright, but a more of a muted, almost khaki, green colour. One of the things that I like about this polish is that the shade is quite unusual; many of the green nail polishes that I have bought in the past or looked at in the shops tend to be quite vivid and bright, but Spanish Moss is more of a subtle way to wear green nail polish. The consistency of the Colorstay range is quite thick, which I find preferable, as fewer coats are needed.

O.P.I. JAMES BOND COLLECTION IN GOLDENEYE

While this colour may look to be more of a summer shade to some, the colour of this polish from O.P.I.'s 2012 James Bond collection seems suitable for autumn/winter to me. It is reminiscent of both yellowing leaves and Christmas decorations, so I feel that it is more of a colour for the colder months. Depending on the number of coats applied to the nails, the colour can either be a light wash of glitter or a more solid gold effect. The issue with this polish is that, being an O.P.I. Polish, it is relatively expensive - however, since the collection is from last year it should be cheaper to buy now, providing that availability isn't an issue.

REVLON NAIL ENAMEL IN VIXEN

Another shade from Revlon here, however Vixen is a far cry from the previous colour. This shade is best described as a very dark maroon - however, the polish looks like a deep purple in the bottle. Vixen is an ideal colour for autumn, as darker toned shades are often favoured for the colder months - and this polish is reminiscent of the colour of berries. Unlike the Revlon Colorstay range, the original polish collection has quite a different consistency - it is not as thick, which means that one or two more coats may be needed (perhaps a minimum of two or three coats), but I don't think that this is hugely problematic.

O.P.I. JAMES BOND COLLECTION IN LIVE AND LET DIE

The swatch for this shade is a little different from how the colour actually looks (it is quite difficult to photograph this shade) - Live and Let Die is a duo-chrome colour; in some lights it looks like a glittery black, but in other lighting it looks more like a dark teal colour. Similarly to the Revlon shade Vixen, the reason that I think that this shade is suitable for autumn is because it's very dark - unlike the Revlon shade, however, this polish is glittery (which isn't very visible in the swatch), but it's quite hard to tell what colour the glitter actually is. This polish will probably have the same issue as the previous O.P.I. shade, in that it may still be quite expensive to purchase and it may not be available anymore (but it is worth a look online).

BARRY M NAIL PAINT IN RASPBERRY

The final nail polish is probably the most affordable of the five that I have selected - Barry M nail polishes are generally very good quality as well as being cheap to buy. As the title of this shade suggests, this polish is a true raspberry colour - the more coats added, the darker the polish gets. This polish is the brightest (aside from the gold, perhaps) of the shades that I have selected; however, since the colour is aptly berry toned, it seems fitting to wear it in the autumn months.

Of course, any of these shades could be worn throughout the year, but I feel that these colours work particularly well in the autumn/winter months. As per usual, I will link some websites where each of the polishes can be bought from.

- Kate Shortt - 

Revlon Colorstay Nail Enamel in Spanish Moss

http://www.boots.com/en/Revlon-Colorstay-Nail-Enamel_1254429/

O.P.I. James Bond Collection in GoldenEye

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009ERVY00/ref=s9_simh_gw_p194_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=02ZT7TWW4GKQSKRPCB5M&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=418448347&pf_rd_i=468294

Revlon Nail Enamel in Vixen

http://www.boots.com/en/Revlon-Nail-Enamel_33582/

O.P.I. James Bond Collection in Live and Let Die

http://www.amazon.co.uk/OPI-Skyfal-Nail-Polish-Lacquer/dp/B009ERWZSU/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379530729&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=opi+nail+polish+live+and+let+diw

Barry M Nail Paint in Raspberry

http://www.boots.com/en/Barry-M-Nail-Paint_947704/

LOOK WHO'S BACK...

Hello!
I'm back from my five week long hiatus - I realise that I went AWOL for a very long time, and that was partly because I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to continue blogging. You can assume, then, from the title of the post that I am going to keep blogging for the foreseeable future. I'll probably have a much more substantial post written by the end of the week to make up for my absence - which I apologise for.

That's all there is to this little update, but expect posts to recommence soon.

N.B. - I'm thinking of tweaking the design of my blog, so if the page changes dramatically you'll know why.