Two Updates and a Shedload of Plans

I've been a bit slow on the blogging front recently. I've taken a load of shifts at work to try and build up the piggy bank for New York, and I've also been generally trying to organise my life and continue writing reviews to post here. I also got a haircut!

I want to point out two features I've added to the site recently, the first being the star rating system I finally made, which is now in the right hand bar. Eventually I will write a post which goes into detail about the ratings and how I distinguish between them, but that's not at the top of my priority list just yet. I've also added a reviews index page, which I am extremely happy with. As I'm sure you'll notice there is a considerable amount of films in the index which I haven't reviewed yet, but they will all come along in good time! Basically every time I watch a film I will add it to the list as a motivation to review it and hopefully at some point in the near future the number of reviewed films in that list will outweigh the ones yet to be done. In the 27 (gasp) days that this blog has been functional I've posted seven film reviews, so I'm hopeful that the odds to get through that mammoth list of films, which currently stands at 43, are in my favour. Fingers crossed.

In other news, next week I will head back to Ormskirk for a week to begin the move from my current house to my one for next year. I'm extremely fortunate to have my current house til the end of August, which means I can move at my own pace rather than having a huge rush in a single day. This week will also feature birthday celebrations for Rosie, who is about to join me in the ranks of the 21 year olds, as well as my chance to finally see The Amazing Spider-Man, which I have been desperately awaiting for sooo long now.

I'm in the process of playing with Polyvore some more so I can try and flesh this blog out with more than just film reveiws. This time around is not so much clothes I want to buy, but more just playing around with making outfits inspired by different themes. It's actually a lot of fun, but with work commitments I don't have mass amounts of time to spend doing it, so you'll just have to watch this space.

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Complete with the lead performance of an until now unheard of third Olsen sister, the vision of a debut feature director and writer Sean Durkin and possibly the most mind-bending, tongue-twisting title ever, Martha Marcy May Marlene gained incredulous amounts of hype after its power-run at numerous film festivals. Defying every blank-faced shop assistant who (cruelly) asked me to repeat the name of this film when asked for it, I finally bought and watched Mary Minnie Mia Marie this month. Here is what I thought.

Chronicle

Within recent yeas a distinctive style has emerged within cinema. Made hugely popular through The Blair Witch Project, the use of handheld cameras to present a story has thrived within the horror genre, however it has also proven effective when used within Sci-Fi and Action films, as evidenced in Cloverfield. Chronicle develops upon this style, amping it up the the nth degree.

*WARNING* Features descriptions and images which contain spoilers.

Silent Hill

Back in the days of the Playstation 1, around the time I was finishing primary school, some friends stumbled upon a game that they described to me as the 'scariest thing ever'. Due, in large, to a highly uncooperative console I never got the chance to play that game in my school days. Now, 12 years later, I recently had the chance to see the cinematic adaptation, a visually impressive, yet overall sub-par horror film.

The Wolfman

In 1941 Universal Pictures released their latest horror, The Wolf Man. The film led to the character becoming one of the most iconic movie monsters of the classical Hollywood period. 69 years later the same studio produced a remake, a splendidly gothic tale of familial tensions and an ancient curse. Oh, and there's bucket-loads of gore too.

Hello, Polyvore

Courtesy of Rosita Langley I have recently stumbled upon Polyvore.

I may be a little bit addicted to his site. Having the opportunity to grab images of clothes I'm thinking of buying and put them into a nifty little collage is great fun and extremely useful. I love that I can now put together outfits, see what works, and try out other options all before I even consider pressing the 'Add to Basket' button. Hours of entertainment. At least for me.

NYC by thatdandyboy

So, here is my first clothes collage, a collection of items I'm thinking of buying for my trip to New York in August. As you can see I'm keeping everything pretty neutral, whites and greys, with bit of colour through prints and accessories.

I love the blue/brown woven bracelet and red feather neckalce. The floral detail jumper is possibly my favourite thing I've seen on ASOS this year.

I can assure you there will be plenty more of these to come.

J'adore Polyvore!

Prometheus

I have never seen a film from the Alien series all the way through, none of them have ever appealed to me. I'm not a huge fan of Sigourney Weaver and I'm not a huge fan of Sci-Fi films in general. Despite having no prior relationship with the Alien series, I have been hugely excited for the prequel for quite some time. Hyped up by an incredible cast and one of the best trailers of the year, I finally saw Prometheus last night.

*WARNING* Features descriptions and images which contain spoilers.

...but I want to watch it three times!

I have a confession to make. I'm slightly addicted to purchasing Blu-ray DVDs. This past week I bought three more, The Help, My Week With Marilyn and Martha Marcy May Marlene, and I noticed, once again, something that has been bugging me for a while now. None of these DVDs had a triple play feature.

When Blu-ray was just beginning to become popular it was full of inviting special features, crisp high definition, tons of disc space for extras, and the triple play function. Considering you need a specific player to watch a Blu-ray disc, the prospect of receiving a standard DVD, aswell as a digital copy of your film, is particularly inviting, making the heightened price less of an eye-sore. Unfortunately it's become apparent through recent releases that this feature does not seem likely to become the permanent feature of Blu-ray DVDs that it should be.

The lack of triple play might be forgivable if some other aspect of the product warranted the price tag it carries. Across the three films I purchased, a combined £56, there is a total of 14 bonus features. Eclipsed, in comparison, by the 20+ extras on the Extended Edition of Avatar. A release which also sports triple play. While some may argue that a film like Avatar is much more suited to the bonus features section of a DVD, I don't feel that justifies why we should have to pay such high prices to get less content on other releases.

The fact that two Oscar Nominated films and a critical darling are not deemed suitable to benefit from the full extent of the Blu-ray format astounds me. Taken to an extreme it's borderline victimisation of anyone who doesn't exclusively watch CGI-filled blockbusters. I love my Blu-ray's, but I'm going to need a lot more incentive to carry on paying the high prices for them than a pretty HD picture and underlying fear that standard DVD is going to pull a VHS and soon go extinct.

Start Spreading the News...

For around three years now I've had a hit list of places I need to visit, consisting of Paris, Barcelona, Venice, New York and Berlin. I am very happy to tell you that one of those locations is about to get crossed off of the list. This August I will be headed to New York City with the lovely Rosita Langley, for ten days of pure unadulterated tourism.

I'm genuinely shocked that possibly the biggest name on that list is the first to be ticked off, but I couldn't be more excited. New York is the setting of so many films and TV shows I adore, so naturally the list of places we're going to visit is steadily growing longer and longer. Here is a run-down of the things I'm most excited to do. These aren't necessarily huge must-see locations like the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty, but they're the things I can't wait to do when I get there.

1. Breakfast at Tiffany's

A cliche, but a given. I may substitute the bagel for a croissant and the coffee for a hot chocolate, but I will be spending at least one morning outside the infamous store eating breakfast and channeling my inner kept-woman.  It's one of my all-time favourite films and I cannot wait to live it out.

2. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge

This is a fairly simple one. THE bridge. It's a focal point of the city, and will be a focal point of one day in our trip. Walking across that beast will be such a surreal experience I'm sure, but I'm very excited to do it.

3. A Day in Central Park

One entire day spent in Central Park, where we just soak in our surroundings and enjoy one of the most famous parks in the world. Its big enough that we won't get bored, and in this city there will no doubt be ample opportunity for some good old fashioned people watching. Secretly have my fingers crossed Autumn will come early so I can enjoy the orangey browns, a la When Harry Met Sally.

4. One Night. No Sleep

Again with the simple goals. We will be in 'the city that never sleeps', so it stands to reason we should take on the challenge. One whole night where we don't sleep, don't go back to the hotel, and see as much of the cities nightlife as two people can. Alcohol may make an appearance.

5. Lunch on the Met Steps

Gossip Girl. Anyone who has watched it will understand this one. I was a late bloomer with GG, in fact it was Rosie who first convinced me to give it a watch in our first year of Uni. Needless to say I absolutely adore the show, and lunch on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a must-do, along with actually going inside the museum, obviously. I fully intend to Blair Waldorf those steps. 

Of course this list is nowhere near exhaustive, the absence of Broadway alone will send off some alarm bells, but these five things will undoubtedly enrich the holiday in so many ways. I could not be more excited. Any suggestions for other things to do are welcome!

Check out Rosie's blog here.

The Woman in Black

Hammer Horrors latest turnout provides a strong post-Potter performance for Daniel Radcliffe and shows just how terrifying a rocking chair can be.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Chances are while you were growing up you would have encountered at least one fairy tale, the story of a loveable rogue or dainty princess fighting the evil queens and warlocks who threaten their happily ever after. The thing about fairy tales though, is that once you grow up the fantastical stories start to lose their appeal and the Disney-esque wonderment isn't enough the entertain. Cue 'grown-up' fairytales, films that have gained substantial interest as of late, where a well-loved tale is re-presented in a darker, more pointy package. Cue, this time around, Snow White and the Huntsman.

Not With A Fizzle...

So, here I go.

I've spent the past few days reading my way through lists and articles that detail the top tips for 'starting your blog with a bang!' in the hopes of finding a piece of advice that would make writing this first post any easier. I've been advised to keep it both formal and casual, to focus solely on my blogs topic and demographic while adding bucket-loads of personality and anecdotes, and, above all, to make it interesting. Defying all advice I'm going to try and do this my own way.

My name is Daniel Carter.

I was born at 7.13AM on the 27th December 1990, the only child of Wendy and Kevin. I was raised in Broseley, Shropshire and have just finished my second year at Edge Hill University, studying Film with Creative Writing. I have four piercings, no tattoos, work in a supermarket and possess the largest scarf collection of many of my friends. I have just started a blog.


And so I introduce you to said blog: that Dandy Boy. Here I will hopefully entertain you with the ramblings of my life, as well as a constant influx of film reviews and general musings, basically anything I feel is worthy of your time.

I've been studying film for four years now and still find it such an interesting subject. I watch on average three films a week, and as I have a tendency to be quite opinionated I felt that reviewing them was the logical progression. This is my attempt at doing just that. I hope to update at least one review a week, keeping them interesting, useful and spoiler-free. I don't expect to become the next Julie Powell or Perez Hilton of the blogging world, but I'd like to think at least one person out there will find what I have to say interesting enough to return.


And so here it begins. Not with a fizzle, certainly not with a bang, just with a glimmer of hope that somebody reading this will come back soon and gain some benefit from what I have to say.

Until then,