See The Sun

I should really do some scanning!!!!! I’ve been buying countless magazines over the past few weeks - what am I saying, months even - and have scanned almost none of those. There are some Matthew Macfadyen ones, not many but still it’ll enhance the magazine section on Stellar Matthew. Then I have a ton of Marion Cotillard mags, recent and old ones. Once I’ll have scanned all of that I think I’ll have the largest Marion scan archive. And there are the Emily mags still waiting for me to start building the Scan category with. And some Anna stuff + some clippings concerning some recent UK TV programmes. Just thinking of it all makes me crazy and putting it all off. But now it has to stop! One thing at a time and I’ll manage. After all, I paid enough money for all of these on ebay it’d be a shame to only have them sitting on my desk and not sharing them!

‘Out of Africa’ used to be in my top favourite film lists. However, having not re-watched it for some time I started to forget about the reasons why I loved it soo much in the first place. I have done so now and I am all over ‘in love’ with the film - its beautiful and breathtaking cinematography and scenery and the epic score. And of course this is Robert Redford at its best. He just oozes vitality and (sex)appeal. Also, let’s not forget Meryl Streep is stunning as well. I had quite forgotten how sad the ending is. I couldn’t stop crying….

So last week I got the first 2 ITV Jane Austen Dramas on DVD. I’m not going to say much about Mansfield Park - I think it was not so much Billie Piper that made it so horrendous (though she should have had her hair up, but then that was hardly her decision), actually she did the best with the material she could, but the script and cinematography that really messed things up. It did not feel like one piece of film at all.

I did like ‘Northanger Abbey’ however. Felicity Jones not only looked beautiful but also her acting was consistent. JJ Field is a revelation, I so have a crush on his Mr. Tilney. It is of course one of the simpler novels of Jane Austen - if you take away all the gothic fantasies all that’s left is a simple yet honest romance. What I missed were a number of lines from the novel for Mr. Tilney. But then I suppose we can’t have everything. At least it felt good as a film - and the book will always stand on its own.

I have watched my Northanger Abbey DVD twice already and thought I should probably re-watch the old version. Little more than a year ago (it feels much longer than that) I saw it for the first time and absolutely hated it. This time I could appreciate it much more. Visually it is not to my taste but I think no doubt because I have since seen Spooks I am now able to appreciate Peter Firth playing Mr. Tilney.

I consider a country–dance as an emblem of marriage. Fidelity and complaisance are the principal duties of both; and those men who do not choose to dance or marry themselves, have no business with the partners or wives of their neighbours. Taken in that light certainly, their resemblance is not striking; but I think I could place them in such a view. You will allow, that in both, man has the advantage of choice, woman only the power of refusal.

You should not underestimate the power of refusal

I’ve rarely been able to not read the book one of my favourite actor’s/actresse’s upcoming projects was based on. ‘Incendiary’ by Chris Cleave - to be made into a film starring Michelle Williams, Ewan McGregor and Matthew Macfadyen - is no different. However, it took a while to get comfortable with the writing style. You could say I am a ‘grammar freak’, not only when it comes to my native language but also - or even more - when it comes to another. I have spent many hours learning how to spell English - and then to have an international bestseller that’s written with absolute no commas and horrid sentences and spelling mistakes (e.g. I would of thought) left me quite perplex. I needed a few pages to forget about the writing and only focus on the story and thoughts. Then however, I was impressed by how real the characters felt. I hope they’ll be able to have that in the film as well. But then I doubt Ewan and Matthew would be attached were that not the case.