FILM NIGHT - 12 YEARS A SLAVE REVIEW

I went to go and see 12 Years a Slave almost a week ago, but I've only decided to review the film now, after I've had time to form a proper opinion. I would begin this review as I usually would, stating that it is spoiler free. However, as this film is based on true events, there aren't really spoilers as such. With that being said, I won't ruin the ending of the film just in case. 

I would say that this film is, without a doubt, one of the most disturbing films I have ever watched. Don't be put off by that statement - the film is extraordinary and moving, but be prepared to wince at the very least at certain parts of the film. As the title suggest, the premise of the film focuses on slavery in the southern states of the USA. Taken from IMDB, here is a short synopsis of the film...

Based on an incredible true story of one man's fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner, portrayed by Michael Fassbender), as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon's chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist (Brad Pitt) will forever alter his life.

As has been announced fairly recently, many of the cast members have been nominated for Academy Award this year - and when you look at their performances, it isn't hard to understand why. Lead actor Chiwetel Ejiofor makes his portrayal of Northup very interesting, as his defiance of his oppressors is almost empowering. On the flipside, his character slips effortlessly into despair, which can be heart-wrenching (for lack of a better word) at times. However, the real stand-out performance for me comes from Michael Fassbender, whose plantation-owning character genuinely scares at times. Even when off-screen, the mere threat of his character instills dread into the audience - one particular instance is when Solomon tries to smuggle a letter out without being caught, and the tension and sense of danger is palpable. Another noteworthy performance in the film comes from Lupita Nyong'o, whose portrayal of Patsey - a sexually abused slave - is harrowing and especially impressive when taking into account that 12 Years a Slave is her feature film debut.

The visuals of the film are, surprisingly, quite artistic - there are certain shots in the film that are beautiful to behold, yet this serves the purpose of making the action onscreen even more horrific. Some of the worst instances are when one of the characters is being tortured in the foreground, yet others in the background seem oblivious to this. The music in the film helps to heighten the sense of shock in scenes like these; Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is, once again, a perfect fit for this film, although in my mind it did sound strangely reminiscent of parts of the Inception soundtrack.

So, overall I'd say that 12 Years a Slave is well worth a watch, even if it isn't the most comfortable film to view. The violence always shocks but is never over-the-top, and the acting is first rate - I'm expecting this film to win big at the Oscars this year. Let me know in the comments if you've seen this film and what your thoughts on it are.

TOP PRODUCTS FOR DRY SKIN IN WINTER

Once again, I'm going to start this post by apologising for the lack of activity in the past week and a bit. Once I sort out a new posting schedule, I'll be back to posting at least once a week on a regular basis. That aside, I wanted to do a post dedicated to moisturisers - which, admittedly, does sound like quite a strange topic. However, the cold and rain in England has really been getting to my skin recently, so I thought I'd share what products I use to combat the forces of the winter weather.

SOAP AND GLORY THE DAILY SMOOTH BODY BUTTER


I haven't had this product for very long, as I got it in a Soap and Glory set for Christmas. Nevertheless, I would still recommend this product because it keeps skin moisturised for a prolonged period of time. I wore this body butter to a New Year's party - usually, I find that body butters sink into my skin too quickly, and my skin becomes dry again by the end of a night out. This was not the case with this product - it lasts for a long time, is light on the skin, and smells gorgeous. The Righteous Butter is another body butter from Soap and Glory that works really well on dry skin, but I prefer the packaging of this product, as I'm not overly keen on body butters that come in tubs.

SIMPLE KIND TO SKIN HYDRATING LIGHT MOISTURISER

Of the two facial moisturisers that I've included on this list, this is the cheaper alternative - that does not mean that the quality of the product is compromised by any stretch of the imagination. Like the Clinique moisturiser (listed later on), this product leaves a lovely, non-greasy feeling on the skin. Better still, this product is great if you're on a budget, as it costs only £3.99.

SOAP AND GLORY SCRUB + HAPPINESS


I'm having to include another product from Soap and Glory in this list - this time, however, it's something a little different. You would be mistaken for thinking that this product is a body scrub; it's actually a scrub for your hands. I haven't seen anything like this product before, but this stuff is a revelation. Throughout the year, I get quite bad dry skin across my knuckles, and this has been exacerbated in the winter months. This hand scrub is wonderful, as it smooths and preps the skin for hand cream without being too harsh or abrasive on the skin. An additional bonus of the scrub is that it smells amazing, as its orange and mandarin scented.

CLINIQUE MOISTURE SURGE MOISTURISER

As you may or may not be able to tell by the picture, I have pretty much used up all of this moisturiser. I've had this little sample for quite a while and I absolutely love it - unfortunately, the full-sized product is pretty costly. This moisturiser leaves such a lovely feeling on the skin; it feels like it is hydrating but isn't greasy at all. I can confirm that this works very well in the winter, as I took it with me when I went to Iceland last year in April, and it worked fantastically well in even colder weather.

CUTICURA VITAMIN E HAND CREAM


This product is a new edition to my hand cream collection - which is growing at a rapid rate. As I got this hand cream for Christmas, I'm not sure how much it costs. Regardless of price, this is a great product because it doesn't leave a greasy feeling on your hands. The only negative point that I can make about the product is that it is unscented - while this may appeal to some people, I personally like hand cream to have a nice scent to it.

SOAP AND GLORY HAND DREAM

Finishing off the list is yet another Soap and Glory product. It probably seems a bit biased of me to include so many of them, but I honestly think that their skincare products work really well. Hand Dream is pretty much the same as its more famous counterpart Hand Food, but supposedly this version has extra vitamins and other goodies in the formula. I haven't really noticed much of a difference between the two hand creams - both are non-greasy and wonderful smelling hand creams.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my recommendations for dry skin in the winter months. Let me know in the comments if you've tried any of these products or if there are some that you would recommend.

FILM NIGHT - AMERICAN HUSTLE REVIEW

*This is a spoiler free review!*

I apologise for not posting on Sunday as I would normally do, but I wanted to wait to write this film review rather than make a rushed favourites post (which will probably come later on in the week). I mentioned in my November Favourites and Top Five Films posts that I am a big fan of Silver Linings Playbook. Naturally, when I found that David O. Russell was releasing a new film with pretty much the same cast, I was immediately interested. I went and saw American Hustle last night, and overall, I have to say that I'm very impressed.

Taken from IMDB, here is the plot synopsis of the film:

A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to rock the USA, American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down.

The cast-list that American Hustle offers is hugely impressive, with plenty of Oscar nominees and winners. Of the cast, Christian Bale offers the most entertaining performance - what is hugely ironic is that he cons the audience into believing that he is truly a conman. The relationship dynamics between Bale's and Jennifer Lawrence's characters is possibly one of the most comedic aspects of the film; what's more, the arguments and humorous exchanges somehow manage to make the marriage seem more believable. The rest of the cast also manage to walk the tightrope between comedy and drama very well, although sometimes the two genres become indiscernible from one another. One of the slight issues that I have is with Amy Adams' English accent - as a Brit myself, there were times when I did question how accurate her accent was.

In terms of editing and cinematography, American Hustle has all of the qualities that I loved in Silver Linings Playbook. A lot of the shots are very idiosyncratic of David O. Russell's films; there's almost a shakiness to the camera-work, which somehow makes it feel as though you are stepping into the lives of the characters onscreen. Surprisingly, I also love the way that Russell includes music in his films and rarely uses a score - for this film, it makes it seem much more in-keeping with the era in which it is set.

To round off, American Hustle is well worth a watch - I'll be surprised if there aren't any Oscar nominations from this film. One thing I will say is that the plot might get a little confusing to some viewers at some point, but the zealousness of the cast makes for an enjoyable film regardless of understanding.