Sister Act

I first saw Sister Act: The Musical at the London Palladium in July 2010. Having been a fan of Whoopi Goldberg and the film, I was ecstatic to see it. Unfortunately, the show does not contain any of the songs in the film such as 'I Will Follow Him' but the score is fantastic and many of the musical numbers are humorous and feel good. From the joyful 'Raise Your Voice' to the delightfully hilarious 'Lady in the Long Black Dress' to the toe tapping, hand-clapping 'Spread the Love Around' the songs will certainly have you up dancing off your seats!

I went to see it again on Friday at His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen with my mum, my friends Tony and Roslyn and Roslyn's nephew Samuel. It was totally unexpected, as Roslyn's mum and dad dropped out at the last minute, so instead my mum and I got their tickets. It was a fantastic night out and I would recommend it to anyone. It's a feel good musical, so if you're feeling down, Sister Act: The Musical is definitely a show to lift your spirits! Can I hear an amen!

I have covered a song from the show called 'The Life I Never Led' which is sung by the character Sister Mary Robert. The video is below:

P.S. Sister Act: The Musical runs at His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen until the 19th of May, so if you live in the area and want to see the show, then get your tickets fast!

Labyrinth

I am a huge lover of fantasy films and one of my all time favourites is the 1986 cult classic Labyrinth. 

The film starts with fifteen year old Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) being forced to look after her baby brother Toby. Fed up of her life, she tells him a story and accidentally wishes him away to the goblins and their leader, the Goblin King Jareth (played by David Bowie). Sarah has thirteen hours to find her way through the labyrinth Jareth has set for her, otherwise Toby will be turned into a goblin forever.

Along the way she meets three good friends: a grumpy dwarf called Hoggle, a huge friendly monster called Ludo and a chivalrous dog called Sir Didymus, who also rides a err... sheepdog called Ambrosius. Together they solve the mystery of the Labyrinth, but will Sarah manage to get through the final hurdle of defeating Jareth to rescue Toby?

There are some memorable scenes, including the ballroom dream scene, which is the most enchanting scene I have seen from a fantasy film. Sarah looks very beautiful in her silver gown and Jareth devilishly sexy in his eye make up and sparkling royal blue jacket. People may be scarred for life after watching this film, as David Bowie wears too-tight trousers in his role as Jareth! 

I recommend watching Labyrinth as it is a thoroughly enjoyable film. It is also made by the master of puppetry Jim Henson and it proves that you don't have to use CGI in films to make it outstanding. The use of puppets is so original and so fresh. If only films nowadays were like this. 

Marvel's Avengers Assemble

Last night I went to see Marvel's Avengers Assemble with members of the university Christian Union. It was very last minute, but since it was the last CU before the summer, I figured why not. I'm so glad I went now, as the film was absolutely brilliant. In the past few years, I have enjoyed watching superhero films and Marvel's Avengers Assemble never failed to impress. 

Known in the US as The Avengers, the film is made up of six of Marvel's superheroes: Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanov/The Black Widow (Scarlett Johnasson) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). 

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, which is an international peace keeping agency. However the security of the Earth is threatened by Thor's adopted brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) as he has unleashed The Tesseract which is an unknown energy source and has then activated and opened a portal through space. It is up to Fury and newly assembled team of superheroes to stop Loki and to save the lives of people on the planet. 

If you enjoyed watching films such as Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, then I would recommend watching Avengers Assemble, as it has bucket loads of action, a great villain, eye candy (hello Captain America and Thor!), plus everyone's favourite superheroes are together, so if you are a superhero fan, it's hard not to enjoy this film. 

Titanic

Two weeks ago it was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. At 11.40pm on the 14th of April 1912, the famous 'unsinkable' liner struck an iceberg. By 2.20am on the 15th of April 1912 the magnificent ship was at the bottom of the North Atlantic.

For the passengers and the crew it must have been an absolutely terrifying experience. When the ship sank, it actually broke in two and there were 1,514 people on that ship who did not survive the sinking. Among them was the captain of the Titanic, Edward Smith and Thomas Andrews, the naval architect who designed the Titanic. 

There have been many film and television adaptations of Titanic, the most famous one being the James Cameron epic which was made in 1997. 

The first time I saw Titanic must have been around 2001/2002 (can't remember roughly). It was on Christmas Day and my parents were recording it, but watching it at the same time. They went to see the film at the time of it's release and it's among one of their favourite films.

At first I wasn't hugely enamoured with it, but last week I went to see it in 3D at the cinema and I have to admit I really enjoyed it. I recently watched ITV 1's drama Titanic and although some of the acting was wooden, I did enjoy the whole story and now have become fascinated with the history of the Titanic.

If you haven't seen Titanic, there's no brownie points for guessing what it's about. Especially as the historical event is so well known all over the world. There is a fictional love story intertwined with the historical event and that is the love story between a poor third class passenger Jack Dawson and a rich, sophisticated first class girl Rose Dewitt Buttaker, played brilliantly by Leonard Di Caprio and Kate Winslet respectively. Other characters include the evil Caledon Hockley (played by the fantastic Billy Zane) and Molly Brown (played to perfection by Kathy Bates), who was a real passenger on the ship and history would later call her 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown' as she ordered the lifeboats to return and collect passengers who were stranded in the sea. Only one lifeboat returned to collect remaining survivors. There were only 711 people who survived.

The sinking scene is among my favourite scene in the whole film, although it is actually terrifying. In 3D it was even better. It would have been a right rollercoaster ride, except there would be no getting off and no guarantee of survival.

Titanic is famous for it's memorable quotes such as "I'm flying Jack!" or "I'll never let go, Jack, I'll never let go" (to which she does, but only physically, not emotionally).

The film is fast becoming one of my favourites and it's one of the classics that never gets old. I recommend to those who have seen it already to see it in 3D before it finishes and for those who haven't seen it, what are you waiting for? You'll love it!


A picture of the sinking Titanic in the North Atlantic.
A poster for the film 'Titanic' (1997) starring Leonard DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. 

Goldfrapp

Since Christmas 2005, I have been a huge fan of the electronic pop duo Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, effectively known as Goldfrapp. 


The duo formed in 1999 and released their first album Felt Mountain in 2000. However, it was not until I received their third album Supernature that I became a huge fan. Normally, I'm not hugely enamored with the whole electro music scene but something about Goldfrapp made it special. I found their songs were enticing and made me want to escape to another world. Alison Goldfrapp makes the music tantalizing, as her soothing, sometimes haunting vocals carry across all the songs. Also, I must note for 45 she is extremely, how should I say this, hot? There's no doubt she is the eye candy of men (and some women!) everywhere, with her flowing blonde locks and glimmering blue eyes.

I have three of their albums: the first one Supernature, released in 2005. This features the hit single 'Ooh La La' (which has featured in the Vauxhall Corsa advert), Seventh Tree, released in 2008 and their most recent album Head First, released in 2010.

Each album is different from the rest, as Supernature is heavily electro-based, Seventh Tree their fourth album takes the folk-hippie approach, with songs such as 'A&E' and 'Happiness'. I'm intrigued by the first song on that album 'Clowns', as Alison Goldfrapp's muffled vocals often make the song hard to understand, but by reading the lyrics, the song is about criticizing a woman who has breast implants and skin cancer causing fake tan. Head First has a go at recreating 80's new wave pop and it doesn't fail to impress. My favourite song on that album is 'Alive', it's a great song to wake up to in the morning and whenever you're feeling down, it will help to pick you right back up.

I hope to see Goldfrapp perform live one day, but at the moment I don't think they seem to be touring. In February 2012, they released Goldfrapp: The Singles, which featured the best tracks from each of their five albums, plus two brand new tracks 'Yellow Halo' and 'Melancholy Sky', which is fast becoming my favourite Goldfrapp track.

I'm hopeful that they will release a new album in the near future. Until then I'll just happily listen to their back catalogue.

The Mentalist

Since August 2010, I have been a huge fan of detective drama The Mentalist. 

The programme is set within the fictional California Bureau of Investigation or CBI (California's FBI) and every week a murder takes place, which the team must look into and find the killer, before it is too late.

One of the most interesting characters of this programme is Patrick Jane (played by the brilliant Simon Baker). Jane is what's known as a mentalist (hence the title of the programme). The definition of a mentalist is someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis and or/suggestion. Formerly a conman psychic, Jane changed his ways after he came home one night to find his wife and child brutally murdered. The killer: a man who goes by the name of Red John. The reason for the killing: Patrick Jane taunted Red John on television and this was payback. He makes his presence known, as he paints a smiley face on the wall brutally in the victim's blood. 

Jane's talents often help to catch the killer, as he figures out the motivations behind people who murder. In between, he is often seen lounging on the sofa and drinking copious amounts of tea (which can be seen in every episode). Behind Jane is the team who help to investigate the murders and question the suspects. Teresa Lisbon  (Robin Tunney) is a no-nonsense senior agent of the CBI and the special agents straight-faced Kimball Cho (Tim Kang), Wayne Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) and the radiant Grace Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti). 

I recommend watching The Mentalist if you don't already, as it is one of the most fantastic crime dramas ever produced on television, the plot is easy to follow and you don't have to watch it from Season 1, if you read up on the brief synopsis before hand. Guest stars include Missi Pyle, who starred in films such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Artist, as well as A Clockwork Orange Malcolm McDowell, who stars as a former nemesis of Patrick Jane and is the leader of the cult Vizualise. He truly is fantastic in these episodes. I take a liking to Cho, as he seems misunderstood, however in every situation he still manages to keep on a straight face and I don't know how he does it! The main star of the programme however is Patrick Jane - handsome, charismatic, wise and highly intelligent. 

The Mentalist is on Channel 5, Fridays at 9pm

I was also delighted to find most of the actors on Twitter - if you're a fan, please do follow them!

  

Left: Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney) and                  

Patrick Jane (Simon Baker)

Wayne Rigsby (Owain Yeoman)                        Grace Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) 

Kimball Cho (Tim Kang)                                                           Red John's trademark 'smiley face'

Noble Brothers Productions

Since October 2011, I have been involved with Aberdeen based film group Noble Brothers Productions. 
The group was formed by Peterhead brothers Graeme and John-William Noble in February 2009 and specialises in making films based around Christian morals.

Because of co-founder Graeme Noble's keen interest in Hong-Kong action films, many of their films include fight scenes and these are highlighted A Snake Move (2010) and The Shadow of Death (2011).

I have been lucky enough to work on four of their productions so far. I did lighting and played the minor role of Jazmin in their short film Inner Joy of a Broken Heart (2011) and operated sound, lighting and played the minor role of Rhiannon in one of their feature length films Losers in Love (2012). I am now working on two current projects with Noble Brothers Productions and these are Street Fight (completes filming in May 2012) and Call of Babylon (which completes filming in August 2012). I am doing behind-the-scenes duties on these projects (sound and lighting). Noble Brothers Productions are hoping to work on a Doric speaking project called Blue Toon, which will be filming in the summer and hopefully I will get to appear in front of the camera as an actor as yes, I am fluent in Doric!*

I enjoy filming. However like everyone I prefer indoor filming to outdoor filming. Two reasons: 1) I live in the north east of Scotland, so the weather isn't exactly tropical and 2) often sounds can be picked up on the microphone, which hinders the film i.e. sound of a plane flying past, traffic etc...

Cold weather, hours of standing about, ensuring the shots are right can get a bit tedious and tiring... but the end result is worth it! It's a great organisation to be involved with and anyone wanting to work in either the film, television or media industry should get involved in something similar to this... or even start up your own!

Check out their website: www.noblebrothersproductions.org

R xx

The logo of Noble Brothers Productions

So far the company have featured and won awards at these various film festivals:


Fan Favourite at HolyWood International Christian Film Festival of New York and The Official Selection of the GloryReelz Christian Film Festival (The Shadow of Death)
Official Selection at the Limelight Film and Arts Awards (Life of a Spy)
Official Selection at the UK Christian Film Festival (Inner Joy of a Broken Heart)
Official Selection at the Boomtown Film & Music Festival (My Dear Love)
Official Selection at The Action on Film International Film Festival (Boycie)
Official Selection at the UK Christian Film Festival (Unconditional Love)
Official Selection at the Phoenix International Christian Film Festival (The Hope Within)


*Doric - For those of you who are not from the North East of Scotland, Doric is a language which is spoken in this area. It is spoken (very rarely) in Aberdeen, but spoken more frequently in areas around Aberdeen (Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Huntly etc). Phrases in Doric include "fit like" (how are you?) and "nae bad, yersell?" (not bad, yourself?)