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Day: 1 December 2013

Cornerhouse Pick of the Week: Blue is the Warmest Colour

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in News.

Blue Is the Warmest Colour (La vie d’Adèle: Chapitres 1 & 2 in its original french) is a coming-of-age story directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. Adèle’s (Adèle Exarchopoulos) life is changed when she meets Emma (Léa Seydoux), a young woman with blue hair, who will allow her to discover desire, to assert herself as a woman and as an adult.

It is based on the french graphic novel by Julie Maroh and follows similar themes of questioning sexuality, the want to conform and romantic loneliness. As Maroh has stated on her blog, though, the film is purely Kechiche’s interpretation of the source material. The visual style is similar when the focus is given to Emma’s blue hair. This marks her as different and shows the colour she brings to the protagonist’s life. One scene in the film shows the cold paleness and wintery blue of Emma side-by-side with Adèle’s warmer, earthy tones. The cinematographer Sofian El Fani does a tremendous job making almost every frame a beauty to behold.

Both film and source show sex scenes, just with slight differences in style. Most viewers will have the sex scenes seared in their memories, although they take up just a fraction of the running time. I commend  Kechiche for steering away from soft-focus timidness and showing the lovers in an act of passionate pleasure. It shouldn’t be misconstrued as pornography (see Don Jon for a look at how porn scenes are different to actual sex) although it does play into the mysticism of the female orgasm that the film questions at one point.

The technique Kechiche uses often and to great effect is to have close ups of the characters’ faces, allowing you to see emotions from a flicker of a smile to a brightening in the eyes. Exarchopoulos and Seydoux have some incredibly powerful scenes where the full weight of emotion is shown, earning their place with Kechiche for the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

The downside of all those close ups is that you see Adèle’s mouth open. A lot. And the eating in the film is not refined dining.

At almost 3 hours, be prepared for a long film. The pacing is different to most current films, where the emphasis is more on getting from one scene to the next as quickly and slickly as possible. This is more similar to the pacing from early cinema and other “arty” European cinema. The film is more of an experience to be chewed over (preferably with your mouth closed).

Review: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Written by Mark McGrath on . Posted in News.

In Hollywood, 20 months is almost enough time for a popular series to be given a complete overhaul and a fresh lick of paint. And so with Catching Fire and its revisiting of exactly the same places and exactly the same events that were depicted in the first installment of the series, you would be forgiven for mistaking the film for a reboot. It’s a mistake that isn’t made easier by the purely business-orientated decision to place The Hunger Games at the beginning of the title, something altogether absent from the name of the novel on which it’s based.

Fortunately, and unlike many recent sequels, Catching Fire knows that “more of the same, but bigger” isn’t necessarily the key to success. Although the film may retread some of the steps taken by its predecessor, mainly, the selection of the Games’ candidates, the journey to the Capital and the pre-battle propaganda, the beginning of the film emphasises that something is certainly different as Katniss unwillingly sparks a rebellion.

In fact, it is in these early scenes that Catching Fire really excels as an exciting, political thriller. Once again, Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss is the heart and soul of the film, impressing us all as she convincingly portrays sadness, strength, hopefulness and vulnerability often all at the one time. One scene in particular, in which she goes toe-to-toe with President Snow epitomises all that is fantastic about the film: the cast is excellent, the script crackles and the emotional complexities and philosophical ideas that Catching Fire has to offer come to the forefront. This is an intelligent blockbuster.

It’s a shame, then, that the Games themselves are slightly disappointing. This time around, Katniss’ entrance into the arena is not quite as pulse-quickening or heart-racing. We’ve seen it all before: the Hawaiian tropical setting is refreshing but instantly recognisable; the breaking of the group of competitors into different factions with allegiances and friendships tested is far from original and there’s also an eerily familiar thick and mysterious fog to contend with. It seems as if the producers were borrowing directly from LOST. At one point, a character even says, “let’s get what we need and get off this damn island.”

In a perverse way, the older, more experienced competitors don’t appear as dangerous or frightening as the child-killers from the first film and so what made the first film so disturbing in entirely absent. That’s not to say that the events of the arena are not engaging or exciting. There are some well-executed action and chase scenes, but it is clear that the political backdrop to the Games and the growing rebellion have far more dramatic potential.

Ultimately, Catching Fire is a movie of two halves: one half intelligent political thriller and the other a straight-forward blockbuster. Although both succeed in providing entertaining viewing, it’s the first that sets the film apart from generic action fare. And with one of the most unsatisfying endings in movie history, it’s fortunate that going forward into next year’s sequels, it appears as if the people’s rebellion will take centre stage. The wait for next November may be unbearable for some, but it may certainly be worth it if future installments could well deliver on this exciting promise.

Home-made masks: the products that you shouldn’t be putting on your face

Written by Anastasiia Vasiutina on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

There are thousands of home-made masks recipes and remedies for bad skin out there, but before you smear the contents of your fridge on your skin, it is worth remembering that “natural” doesn’t automatically mean “good for you”.

A bit of chemistry now. Your skin has a pH of roughly 4.5-5, which is very important in relation to skincare. Alkaline products (baking soda, toothpaste) have a very high pH which might upset the skin’s natural balance, damaging or disrupting the skin barrier. Acidic products (citrus fruits or vinegar) have a pH that’s too low, so you are actually putting yourself at a risk of burns.

Bearing all that in mind, it is a bit disturbing to see the sheer amount of bad advice out there. I struggled with acne myself and in my effort to beat it tried a million different home “remedies”.  To prevent the reader from going on their own journey of trials and errors, I have compiled my own list of things you definitely shouldn’t be using in the attempt to re-create a spa salon at home.

1) Put that pot of baking soda down and do not trust face mask recipes that urge you to use it. With a pH of 9, it is alkaline, which upsets your skin’s natural balance. That tight squeaky feeling you get after you’ve used it? That’s not cleanliness; it’s your skin trying to hold on to its natural barrier.

2) Lemons, oranges and limes do not belong on your face. All three are extremely acidic (lemons have a pH of 2, that’s one pH unit up from battery acid!) and could cause chemical burns. But what about the nice purifying tingling feeling? It’s your skin burning and protesting about all the acid you’ve just dumped on it.

3)  You know how you won’t eat raw eggs because of all the infections and bacteria that could be festering in them? That stuff does not belong on your face either. Animal protein in general is comedogenic – it blocks pores and creates infections, the effects of which can be severe on any skin-type, causing even the most acne-free of us to break out.

4) White vinegar is amongst the most dangerous ones in my collection of absolute don’ts. It can cause actual chemical burns on the skin. There’s a lot of confusion between white vinegar and its milder relative, apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar has a pH of 4.25, nice and gentle on the skin, used by one generation after another as an all-natural toner – might be worth picking some up at your local Holland & Barrett if you have the cash. White vinegar on the other hand has a pH of 2 – again, just one pH unit away from battery acid. It is absolutely essential to be clear about this distinction; apple cider vinegar isn’t dangerous just because it’s vinegar, whereas white vinegar is dangerous precisely because it is much more malicious than its counterpart.

5) Cinnamon is also worth mentioning, even though I have only come across one wild suggestion to use it. The recipe is called the “burning face mask”, which rang my alarm bells straight away. First of all, the burning sensation on your skin is just that – burning and destroying your skin’s natural barrier. It’s not cleansing, toning, removing scars or anything else that the recipe claims it to be. Adding insult to injury, I later found out that the cinnamon we get in the UK shops is extremely toxic in high doses. Shall I put a tablespoon of it on my face? I think not.

6) Last but not least, those sugar (or salt) scrubs. Both sugar and salt grains are much too big and have too many sharp edges for your skin to handle. They cause micro-tears in your skin and in worse case scenarios, scarring and even broken capillaries. Apricot scrubs of any kind have the same effect; it’s a bit like rubbing broken shells or sand on your face.

Now that the nasty products have been named and shamed, it’s time to think of the positives. There’s plenty of food out there that you can use. Honey has wonderful moisturising properties, avocados contain the perfect gentle balance of Vitamin C and amino acids and yogurt is full of enzymes and zinc. All these do a great job at cleaning and softening your skin while protecting it with their anti-oxidant properties.

However, remember to test your face mask on a small area of skin first – might seem pointless, but you definitely don’t want to wake up and realise you have a food allergy that you had no idea about.  Home spa treatments are cheap and accessible to everyone: just remember to keep pH in mind and do a test patch first!

Fashion under the mistletoe

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

 

CHRISTMAS PARTY:

 

Look 1

Top: ZARA Short Studio Top – 49.99 GBP

Skirt: TOPSHOP Velvet Sequin Pencil Skirt – 42.00 GBP

Necklace: ACCESSORIZE Katy Jewelled Montana Necklace – 25.00 GBP

Clutch: ZARA Furry Clutch bag – 19.99 GBP

Shoes: ZARA Leather High Heeled Court Shoe – 79.99 GBP

Look 2

Dress: TOPSHOP Satin Slip Dress – 38.00 GBP

Earrings: ACCESSORIZE Monochrome Catwalk Jewel Earrings – 12.00 GBP

Clutch: ASOS Leather and Boucle Weave Clutch – 40.00 GBP

Shoes: ASOS Photo-shoot Pointed High Heels – 45.00 GBP

 

 

CHRISTMAS DAY:

 

Look 1

 

Dress: TOPSHOP V Front Chiffon Insert Dress – 38.00GBP

Kimono: H&M Embroidered Navy Kimono – 49.99 GBP

Shoes: ASOS Handshake Heeled Sandals – 33.50 GBP

Nails: TOPSHOP ‘Solar’ Gold/ Pink – 6.00 GBP

 

Look 2

Jumpsuit: TOPSHOP Matte Satin T-Shirt Jumpsuit – 60.00 GBP

Necklace: URBAN OUTFITTERS Lovebullets Smoky Quartz in Silver – 22.00 GBP

Ring: ACCESSORIZE Sterling Silver Marcasite Vine Rine – 12.00 GBP

Ring: ACCESSORIZE Aaliyah Stone Ring – 14.00 GBP

Shoes: ASOS Paradox Pointed Heels 27.00 GBP

Lips: TOPSHOP Lip Bullet in: Wine Gum – 8.00 GBP

 

 

 

 

NEW YEAR’S EVE

Look 1

Jumpsuit: TOPSHOP Satin Animal Jumpsuit – 58.00 GBP

Necklace: Urban Outfitters Two-Way Necklace in Silver 12.00 GBP

Shoes: ASOS Switch Up lace-up Heels 40.00 GBP

Lips: TOPSHOP Lips in: Called Up – 8.00 GBP

 

 

Look 2

Dress: ZARA Strappy Dress – 39.99 GBP

Top: ZARA Sweater With Open Back – 25.99 GBP

Earrings: ACCESSORIZE Maisie Jewel Earrings – 10.00 GBP

Shoes: ASOS Hoxton Heeled Sandals – 42.00 GBP