The Hunger Games Part 1 Reviewed

First off I haven't read the book series..... I know I know I am a terrible person but I am about as  big of a fan of The Hunger Games as a non book reader can be!

So whilst I can't give you a book to movie what they left out kinda review I can rave about how amazing the film itself was!

Splitting the final book of a series into 2 movies is just what everyone is doing these days and as much as we complain about it we are still going to buy tickets for both films, lets face it I mean for people like me these series legit become your life and you can't not see it! That's just not an option.
Despite me being a huge fan I did go into this movie with my doubts as Part 1 of a movie is always terrible (Do I even have to mention Harry Potter: A movie about camping! and Twilight: Gets married, has a baby, the End.). But I couldn't have been more WRONG.

The acting as usual was amazing, Jennifer Lawrence is just perfect in everything she does, but this year showed some new characters added to the cast who made the franchise even more epic. Natalie Dormer as Cressida just brings a whole new meaning to the phrase bad-ass and I can't wait for part 2 to see her really kick some butt, and Julianne Moore as President Coin was simply genius and I couldn't possibly imagine anyone else in the role.

The movie begins in a much darker place and starts off in district 13, it is here that Katniss discovers that Peeta is still alive and after deliberations with President Coin she agrees to be their Mockingjay in return for Peeta and the other stolen tributes rescue. We really get to see a whole lot more character development with Gale in this movie which should please all you team Gale fans out there, he gets to show off his capable skills and helps in Peeta's rescue. The whole movie is essentially a propaganda battle between President snow and Katniss and is the single moment in my life when I have found politics remotely interesting.

'If we burn, then you burn with us' - Best line ever, I genuinely got shivers when she delivered this line.

There are some really deep and intense scenes in this movie, Josh Hutcherson really did an amazing job with Peeta's character arch and did a great job at leaving everyone with an OHHHH SHIIIIIT moment with that last scene (You know what im talking about *wink* *wink*).

Ultimately this movie has left me so excited and really anticipating The Mockingjay Part 2, like many I will be devastated when the franchise is over. 

I highly recommend you go see this film ASAP and I give it a solid 9/10.      

The Maze Runner Book To Movie

I recently went to see The Maze Runner at the cinema and fell in love with the series.
Naturally being the impatient person I am, I decided I had to start reading the books so I could find out what happened next.

I was slightly surprised with the differences in the book and the film, I realised book to movie adaptations often have their differences but I was shocked at how much the two differed. So lets talk about the MAIN differences.

SPOILERS ahead....Obviously.

1) Telepathy, I haven't yet read The Death Cure so I don't know exactly where the story is going...yet. But I feel leaving out the fact that Teresa and Thomas can speak to each other in their heads is kind of a big deal. I feel leaving this out of the film has missed developing Teresa and Thomas's relationship and as a result those who have only seen the film will not be as invested in the duo. It also explains quite a bit and is used a fair amount in the Scorch Trials so I am interested to see how they will play it out in the upcoming movie.


2) Solving the maze, This is one of the biggest differences, in the movie Thomas kills a griever and finds a mechanical key so to speak, this has a number on it which corresponds to a section of the maze and ultimately opens a door to freedom (at least what they think will be freedom). However in the book they realise that the maze is a code which can be cracked if you compare maps of the maze from each day, when placing maps on top of each other they reveal a letter and eventually they end up with a series of words that acts as a password to open the door to supposed freedom. Also the book results in them jumping of the edge of a cliff into a hidden door before entering the code whereas the film shows some amazing CGI moving walls making the escape that extra bit difficult.

3) The Grievers, in the book they are described more as slug like creatures with added mechanical spikes and other sharp metal protrusions. In the film they look more like a mechanical spider crossbreed, I love how they look in the film as they do look truly terrifying.  


4) Gally, so im just gonna go ahead and say it, in the book Gally is an utter SHANK. I don't think you are supposed to like him for one minute whereas I am a huge fan of him in the movie, I think this is largely due to him being played by Will Poulter who is utterly amazing and i definitely have a crush on him after seeing this film. Im telling you now he WILL redeem himself! I believe he will also be in the scorch Trials movie despite his absence in the book so im excited to see how that will play out. Again his story differs in the book as he just sort of appears at the end of the film as a pose to jumping on a griever and being carried away in the book.

5)A few other differences:

• The Gladers had only been in the maze for 2 years in the book and started with a small group not just Alby who had supposedly been in the glade for around 3/4 years in the film. 
• More gladers escape in the book
• Newt has long hair in the book
• Gladers already have a cure for griever stings before Teresa arrives (Gally has been through the changing and recognises Thomas)

Overall I am glad I saw the film before reading the book as I probably would have been slightly disappointed with some things that were changed and left out. That being said I did see the film first and absolutely LOVED it! The actors, the acting, the special effects are all outstanding and I literally cannot wait until The Scorch Trials movie is released, I think this series will just keep getting better and better and I definitely recommend this series as both a movie and book.

Dracula Untold Movie Review

I have watched and become obsessed with pretty much every vampire related TV show and movie so naturally I could not wait to see this film.

Firstly I was excited to see Luke Evans as the lead, for one he is amazing in another of my obsessions THE HOBBIT and two he is one fine human being to look at.

As the film began I got a real 300 feel, the way the opening described the main characters brutal upbringing and how he developed into a strong leader feared by his foes. I appreciate many people may have found the movie to be somewhat predictable given that its the story of Dracula, and lets face it i think we all know how that goes... But i think it was still an exciting action packed movie and I absolutely loved the battle scenes, I mean who doesn't think a man taking down an entire army single handedly isn't the coolest thing ever!

Charles Dance (Game of Thrones' Tywin Lannister, may he rest in peace) plays the Vampire who created Dracula and does a great job of coming across as sinister and creepy in my opinion.

I loved the story line and how everything was set up and I think the v

isuals and special effects were EXCEPTIONAL, however I was slightly confused when Dracula had to send his child away to stop the other vampires eating him when only a few seconds later he killed them all himself, but hey i'm all for the dramatics so I can forgive that one.

I really loved the end scene, bringing the movie into modern day and showing Dracula still alive and well, then cutting to Charles Dances character looking all stern and following his every move. All this has the perfect set up for a sequel, There are rumors of a Monsters Universe movie series and the ending of Dracula Untold certainly gave the impression that if they do go ahead that Dracula will feature in them, I can only hope as I adore Luke Evans and would love to see more of him as a super sexy vampire hunk.

If you love action packed movies with a fantasy twist this movie is definitely for you.

Overall I rate this movie 7/10      

Tips For Dealing With Stress

I find I am prone to becoming stressed and suffering from a number of anxieties from time to time so I thought I would share one of the ways I try to cope when i'm feeling really bogged down with things. I have no idea if this will be helpful to anyone but here goes!

It will usually come to me at night when I just cant switch my brain off and i'm trying to simultaneously contemplate about 10 different things which are stressing me out and I just cant get a clear thought or solution as I have too many things on my mind.
I have found writing a list of the things i'm stressing about very effective. Firstly seeing it all written down makes it actually appear as though I have less to worry about than when it was all jumbled in my mind and secondly it allows me to deal with each issue individually and if need be I can just jot down next to the problem how i'm going to solve it, when exactly I need to deal with it and when it is going to become a priority situation.
I think by having it written down it clears it from your mind as it is allowing you to store the information somewhere else.

Again I am not an expert and this is just what I personally do, hope this might be able to help anyone else feeling under pressure and as though their mind might explode and result in a gargantuan meltdown.  

Winter Essentials

It may be a bit early too be thinking about winter and all things festive but i just cant help myself...

Here are some of my essential tips to make your winter a time of luxury and relaxation:

Stock up on HOT CHOCOLATE.
Whether you make it with water or my personal favourite milk! A hot chocolate will not only warm up your chilled fingers and toes but is perfect for satisfying those oh so pestering chocolate cravings that are responsible for our dreaded holiday weight gain.
My favourite to enjoy whilst snuggled up on the sofa watching my favourite movie.  




Make sure to keep that MOISTURISER topped up.
It can get extremely cols during the winter (depending on your geographical location) and the cols weather can dry out your skin and make applying foundation a real pain aswell as damaging the general health of your skin, so its important to moisturise regularly and keep that skin in tip top condition. My personal favourite is Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser, I would recommend this particularly if you have sensitive skin like me.



That perfect RED LIPSTICK.
With winter comes one of my favourites holidays, CHRISTMAS! That means countless Christmas parties and family gatherings and everyone needs to rock that bright red lip at least once during the season. I personally love red lips and will rock them throughout the entire year as it is such a classic look but i feel it really comes into play during the winter months and my current favourite is Maybelline's Color Sensational in the shade Fatal Red, i have had this colour for a while and just cant get enough of its silky smooth feel.




It is of-course also important to wrap up warm, for example a HAT.
There are always such cool and funky hats on sale during Autumn/Winter and this one is one of my absolute favourites and allows you to channel your inner child.





Find yourself a good BOOK.
Lets face it we don't always feel like leaving are cosy warm central heated houses when the temperature outside is below 0 so you're going to need something to keep you busy over the holidays. Don;t you think being curled up on the sofa in your pyjamas maybe next to a nice warm log fire reading a book is a picturesque version of relaxation. If you're looking for a tear jerker this winter i highly recommend John Greens The Fault In Our Stars, or if you are more into the fantasy historical genre I recommend the book series I am currently reading, A Song of Ice and Fire which the hit TV show Game of Thrones is based on.