Emma Berry's World: 2018

Sunday, 5 August 2018

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again Review

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Here we go again with another film review. I've seen this film three times now, and already parodied one of the songs to someone I know on Twitter.

Ever since I saw the first teaser, I was so excited for this film. Anyone who knows me, knows Mamma Mia is my go to feel good film. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been obsessed with watching the press junkets for the film, so I probably have a variety of knowledge I probably will never need to use again in my life, but hey, maybe there will be a question on Mamma Mia on quiz shows in the future.

What do I love about this film? The story! Even though there were some twists, and continuity differences between the first film and this one, I didn't mind them so much. I think they were needed to help tell a deeper story. I liked that it was a prequel, sequel, and the transitions really worked with bringing the two together. As it was described in the pitch, "The Godfather 2."
I also love the casting choices. Though there were subtle differences, such as eye colours, or height, the acting was phenomenal. Everyone praised Lily James (Cinderella, Baby Driver), and yes, I found her to be the perfect choice for Young Donna, it was actually Jeremy Irvine (War Horse, The Railway Man) who stole the show for me. My heart broke when he sung Knowing Me, Knowing You, and I don't know whether it was because I was so emotionally invested in the story, or if the acting was so spot on that it just broke me.
Another part that destroyed me, was Pierce Brosnan (Goldeneye, Mamma Mia) singing acapella. I can not laugh at all the memes my friend and I had about him singing, because it was just a heartbreaking scene.

What didn't I like? Where were Sophie's friends from the first film? They didn't even make an appearance at the end of the film! It's bugged me every time I've seen the film, because they were such a prominent part of the first film.
I didn't like having to wait for the entire credits to play through to get the extra scene, even if it was worth it.

It's honestly so difficult to find things that I dislike about the film, because I just adore it. My final rating is 9 out of 10.

***

Thank you for reading! I decided in the end to have a week off, rather than spend time playing catch up. This is because I was away, and I wanted to make sure I was really happy with this review before posting it.

See you Monday, with the first of the August musical posts!

-Emmaberry-

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Saturday, 21 July 2018

Eleanor & Park Review

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

I need to talk about this book. I'm on holiday and I've just finished reading it, and now I don't know how to feel. So if you're expecting formatted, coherent thoughts, then this probably isn't the review you should read.

I've been a fan of Rainbow Rowell's work since I read Fangirl for the first time. I think I did a review of that on my Tumblr when I first read it. And I was excited to read this book, especially since from the blurb, Eleanor reminds my friend of herself.

Eleanor & Park does fit into the YA category. Despite this, there were certain points I wanted to say, "you're sixteen!" However, it was these moments that added to my emotions upon finishing the book.

I've never been in love, and even I felt like I was reminded of being in love with someone from my past. I 100% agree with John Green's review on the front. I adore this book, and didn't want to put it down.

I love that this was set in the 80s, rather than the present day. To understand the pop culture references gave me great joy, and physical mixtapes over Spotify playlists made me smile. Even the use of a landline bought a smile to my face.

The story itself progressed so naturally, and fluidly, that I got lost in the book, and before I knew it, I was one hundred pages in, and invested in these characters lives. Not just Eleanor & Park's, but every character we came into contact with. I want more!

Naturally I have also come across fanart to sate my need for more, so I will probably spiral into the depths of Tumblr fandom once more.

If you enjoy love stories that don't revolve around dystopia, or the picture perfect, all-white characters, then you should definitely read this book.

Overall, I give Eleanor & Park, a 9 out of 10.

Thank you for reading through my ramblings.

I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless, and I'll see you next weekend!

-Emmaberry-

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Saturday, 14 July 2018

Norse Mythology Review

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

I am a mythology fan, and have been excited to read this for a while. Truth be told, one of my reasoning's for reading this books is because of Supernatural. I can already see someone reading this rolling their eyes, but one of the characters goes undercover as Loki. In Season 13, they make a return, and from a shot I saw, I wanted to know if it followed the mythology, as the Supernatural writers do really well with incorporating mythology, and origins of different characters.

Admittedly, I read the Last Days of Loki, before I went back and read the book through. But I did manage to read the book in one day. I know for some people that's nothing, and my fourteen year old self would scoff at it, but I fidget a lot. I read a chapter, then did something else for a few minutes, then went back to the book. Despite this, the book held my attention, and I learnt a lot more about Norse Mythology as I read it.

I definitely think that this is a brilliant interpretation of the Norse myths, although I wish within the glossary, there was a section on phonetic transcription, as I did struggle pronouncing some of the names and places mentioned.
As I read through, I was actually surprised at how the knowledge I already have on Norse Mythology, fell into place. It just cleared up a lot of my questions on my missing links.

Do I think this is the definitive guide to Norse Mythology? No. This is just one interpretation of the myths, out of hundreds of different interpretations. Is it my favourite one? Currently, yes. I'm excited to read more interpretations of these Gods and Goddesses, and to reread this book again. I actually wish I'd had this during my first semester or first year, for my Storytelling module, because the way this was presented was in a way that I'd like to present my own retellings of Myths and Legends.

Whether you are reading this book for fun, to learn about the Norse Myths, or you're thinking of using it for an essay, I definitely recommend reading this book. I'm going to read some of the books Neil Gaiman mentioned in his introduction and bibliography, as well as some of Gaiman's other books, so hopefully we'll see another Mythology review in the future.

Thank you so much for reading this review. I hope you've enjoyed it.

I will have an announcement concerning this blog over on my Facebook page in the next couple of weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

See you next week!

-Emmaberry-

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Saturday, 7 July 2018

My World Cinema Collection.

What is my favourite film from World Cinema?

Aside from the cropping Instragram did when I posted this picture, this is my DVD collection. I haven't actually counted how many DVDs I have. Packing and unpacking these from university, it is one of the few times I've acknowledged I have too many DVDs. However, I still aim to buy more. Three of them are going to be honourable mentions, due to not having them in my collection. The others: The Good Doctor Season One, Criminal Minds Boxset Seasons 1-12, and Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, 2012), are on my wishlist, but are probably going to end up on my Christmas list, rather than my summer list.

I have twelve foreign language films, in eight different languages: French, Italian, Portuguese, Cantonese, Sweedish, Spanish, Zulu and Hebrew. Two of the other films I wish to buy are Finnish, with one of them being a mix of Finnish and English, and the other is Spanish. There is one film on my list that you could argue is possibly a foreign language film: Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino, 2017), however, I do not consider it a foreign language film myself. Therefore, I will not be including it on my list, otherwise it would take the number one spot.

A common theme you will find with these films, is me discovering them when I was at college. Without my Film Studies course, I would not be as into foreign language films as I am. If you want a blog post on how Film Studies revealed my inner film nerd, let me know.

But without futher adieu, onto my honourable mentions, counting down from twelve, to one. Lets start with the three honourable mentions. I highly recommend watching all these films - foreign language films don't get as much love as they deserve.

All opinions are my own, so if they differ from yours let me know. I'd be interested on your thoughts about ranking these.

Honourable Mentions

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (Jalmari Helander, 2010). Finnish.
I first watched this film during my second year at college, and I really enjoyed it. Until watching this film, I was unfamiliar with Krampus, so when I first watched it, I was curious. I definitely prefer this tale of Krampus, to the actual Krampus films. I aim to buy this in time for Christmas 2018, as I wanted to watch this last year with a friend, and didn't have access to it on their laptop. As someone who isn't a massive horror fan, I really recommend this film.

Big Game (Jalmari Helander, 2014). Finnish/English.
This is the first foreign language film I watched, and I went into it completely blind. I had no idea it was Finnish and English, but I really enjoyed it. My brother and I were the youngest in the audience by about twenty years. When I saw this, it was prior to the inner film nerd in me coming out, so I like to think this is a turning point for my film nerd.
Samuel L. Jackson was a welcome actor for this film, and his character really worked well with the other characters in the film. Definitely one I wish to re-watch again.

La Zona (Rodrigo Plá, 2007). Spanish.
La Zona is the only film I studied during my Film A Levels that I have yet to buy. I haven't watched it since college, but I still remember really enjoying this film. As I type this, I can still see the opening sequence, and various scenes from the film (though that could be because I studied the film, so I had to analyse some of the scenes that I'm currently visualising). The only issue I have with buying this film, is it's actually really difficult for me to find the film to buy.

The Countdown

12 - Cinema Paridiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988). Italian. Whilst I enjoyed the film, and the cinematography is gorgeous for the late 1980s, it wasn't my favourite. I can see why it won an Oscar, and is a must see for foreign language films, but I've enjoyed other films more. It's one I'll watch again, but it's not one I'd immediately reach for.

11 - Amour (Michael Haneke, 2012). French.I'll admit, the only reason this is at number 11 is because I haven't actually watched it yet. I picked it up during this past academic year because it looks like a powerful love story. I am determined to watch this film over the summer. I'm interested to see where this will end up after I have watched the film.

10 - Chungking Express (Kar-Wai Wong, 1994). Cantonese.Chungking Express (Kar-Wai Wong, 1994) confused me when I first watched it. The two narratives going on side by side, and stopping and starting during the film just didn't work. I recently bought it, in the hopes of watching it again and hopefully understanding the film more. This was definitely the hardest to track down out of the foreign language films I own, but it was so worth it.

9 - La Haine (Matthieu Kassovitz, 1995). French.I did enjoy studying this La Haine, and the social and historical content, but I haven't picked it up since college. Whilst I believe that this film is still relevant, it is no longer my favourite French film. What I do love about this film, is how it is set over twenty four hours. It's a definite film to watch if you're answering a question on social context.

8 - Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008). Sweedish.
Let me start off by saying this is the definitive version of this film you should watch. I'm not a horror fan, which is why this is so low on the list. Truth be told, this final eight was really difficult to rank. The American adaptation of this film has a score that just ruins the film. I actually walked out (I had film club after and the option to stay and watch the film, or go to film club, and I chose film club). What is unique about the original version, is it only uses a film score as and when it is needed. My aim is to make this my Halloween tradition because it is just such a wonderful film.

7 - City of God (Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund, 2002). Portuguese.
I've actually been debating buying the sequel and documentary to this film, because socially this film was outstanding. I love the progression of this film over the different decades, and how it is still an accurate representation of what living in certain parts of Brazil is like today. I highly recommend this film, especially as the documentary from 2012 accompanies the development of the social context perfectly.

6 - Rust and Bone (Jacques Audiard, 2012). French.
This is one of the films I've watched a couple of times, so I'm surprised I actually put it at six. It's a lovely story line, and every time I watch it, I see something new. This is another one that I watched in film club, and even though it has been a while since I last saw this film, I can still see the opening sequence, as well as a few other scenes playing in my head. Definitely one I'm going to re-watch over the summer.

5 - Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006). Spanish.
Until I was in film club, I had never seen this film. Aesthetically is is gorgeous, and had me captivated with Guillermo del Toro's work. If only I could write a screenplay half as well as del Toro, I could die happy. As I type, I'm visualising characters and scenes and it just makes me want to watch the film all over again. It's one of those films I wish I could forget watching, just so I can repeatedly experience it again for the first time.

4 - Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001). French.
I think a lot of people that know me would be surprised that this isn't number one on my list. And I did struggle to decide whether or not it's 3 or 4 on this list. I recently re-watched this with one of my friends and I still find it as wonderful now, as I did when I first watched it in college. If you are starting out with foreign language films, this is the film I recommend you start with.

3 - Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman, 2008). Hebrew.
This was another film that was quite difficult to buy, but it does deserve its place in my top 3. It did, in the end come down to a narrative as to whether this film took third or fourth place. The animation is brilliant for it's time, and the way the story is presented is even better. I am definitely glad this is animated, as I think some of the story would have been lost had it been live action. Without giving too many away, if you want to know more about the Lebanon War of the early eighties, this film is a must see.

2 - Tsotsi (Gavin Hood, 2005) Zulu.
There is more reason than the fact the ending made me cry to me placing this film at number two. I studied this one at college and there is so much you can talk about, from power divides, to social context. The film takes place over six days and so much goes on in it that perhaps goes unnoticed, that whenever I go back to watch this film, I always notice something new.

1 - Untouchable/The Intouchables (Oliver Nakache, Éric Toledano, 2011). French.
I think most people who have watched this film will agree that is one of the purest and most wonderful narratives they have seen. Every year I see a picture from this film that I shared praising this story and the acting. Based on a true story, it is heartwarming and one of my feel good films. The more I research the film, the more I love it. I definitely recommend watching this film.

Thank you so much for reading and sticking by me through this long and slightly vague post. I didn't want to do full reviews of each film, though I will happily do a more in depth film review for each of these films if you'd like. Let me know.

Also, like I mentioned earlier, if you want to know my Film Studies story - what I learnt, how it made me more confident about being a film nerd, why I considered switching courses at the start of first year, let me know. I can do it as a mid-week post, or a full Saturday post.

With all that said, I'll see you next week with another post.

-Emmaberry-

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Saturday, 30 June 2018

Get to Know Me

Things You Might Be Surprised to Learn About Me.

I've been posting on this blog for three months now, and aside from an introductory post, you haven't really had the chance to get to know me. Inspired by a question from Too Many Questions over on the REACT Channel on YouTube, I thought I'd vary the question and give my answer.

If you want more posts like these, maybe as a mid week post, then comment below, or on any of my social medias and let me know.

Question: What are any hobbies or interests you have that people might be surprised to know about you?

I am really into Greek mythology. I started getting into it during my second year at college, when I studied Greek theatre. During the two years I've studied at university so far, I have spoken about Greek mythology at least once an academic year. The funniest story I have of my geekiness about Greek mythology is from my first semester of second year. My lecturer did two lectures on Ancient Greece, and mentioned the Trojan War and the Peloponessian War. However, they got the dates wrong. I was speaking to my friend when we went on a class trip to the archives a couple of towns over and really getting frustrated because of it. The next class I had with this lecturer, they asked if we were on the trip. When we said we were, they told us the lecturer on the trip said; "I heard some interesting conversations about Eastenders, and then I heard one on the Peloponessian War." THE CALL OUT! We were amused by it, but I was also embarrassed that we had been ratted out. But I got a 2:1 on that module, and it was one of my highest marks from this year, so I'm not complaining.
I enjoy collecting photo cards. I have two different sized photo books with photo cards from Paperchase, The Shop that Must Not Be Named and the Harry Potter Studio Tour. It is an addiction. One of my favourite cards, and I believe this is the reason I am so obsessed with photo cards, is the behind the scenes shot of the opening establishing shot of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. Not only is it my favourite shot of the entire franchise, it's the only photo card I've deliberately bought two of.
I still enjoy Taekwondo. Around 90% of people I meet are surprised when I say that I've done Martial Arts. Even friends who forget are shocked. I dropped Brownies for Boxing, the Boxing for Taekwondo. I picked up Korean Kickboxing along the way, but sadly stopped after a car accident left me with a permanent neck injury. I achieved my black belt in Taekwondo when I was sixteen, and because of the car accident, I did stop.
An interesting story about my Taekwondo journey was when we started, I remember thinking, after I finish this portion of my membership, I am going to stop. I don't think this is for me. I don't recall when that time changed, but I'm glad it did because I really enjoyed my Martial Arts journey.
I am really into film scores. A score can sometimes make or break a film for me. If I enjoy a score, sometimes I can name it outside of the film it is in. There are two memories I have of being able to name the score, both from Harry Potter films, outside of the films.
The first was October 2016, when I went to Bolsover Castle with my parents, brother, Aunt, and two cousins. We were sat in the cafe after going round the castle and can hear the music from the kitchen. I say, "they're playing Mr Longbottom Flies," much to the surprise of my family. I was correct in which track it was.
The second happened just recently, watching the TV Show Warwick Davis doing with Bear Grylls, and one of the scores they played was Harrys Wondrous World. I then took it a step further and told my family that it is the same score they use in the adverts for the Studio Tour.
So yes, I'm a bit nerdy when it comes down to film scores.

I'll leave you with these four for the time being. If you want to know more, leave questions below or on my social media and I'll do another getting to know me post soon.

See you next week!

-Emmaberry-

Call Me By Your Name Review

I'm finally writing my Call Me By Your Name film review (Luca Guadagnino, 2017). Directed by Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name is an independent film, set in Crema during the summer of 1983. James Ivory adapted the film from its original novel, written by Andre Aciman.

The film stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network, The Lone Ranger) as 24 years old graduate student Oliver, and Timothee Chamalet (Lady Bird, Hot Summers Night), the 17 year old son of academic Mr Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg (The Shape of Water, Doctor Strange), in what is, at its base level a coming of age love story.

There was some controversy around the film, surrounding the age difference between Oliver and Elio. As Oliver's age is never explicitly mentioned in the film, I can see why. When I initially watched the film during the Oscars Week at QUAD theatre in Derby, I spent a lot of the film wondering how old Oliver was. Due to Timothee looking younger than his age (22) and Armie being older than Oliver's age, the age difference looks larger than it actually is. In real life, Armie is 31, so you very quickly see why the age difference is more prominent than it actually is. Personally, I don't think a seven year age difference between the characters is anything to drastic, and after reading the book, when Oliver's age is mentioned on page 24, I felt like a lot of things from the film made a lot more sense.

Another bit of controversy with this film was Elio smoking. I think this came from a more Hollywood audience, but taking the social context of when the time is set, Elio smoking is accurate. The laws in Italy in 1983 are different from, a) what they are now and b) laws around the world. Whilst I'm not saying that Elio should be smoking, it's completely legal for the time and place. I think people made a much bigger deal out of it than it needed to be, and I am fine with smoking being part of Elio's character.

As I'm writing this, I really there have been a lot of issues with this film. The biggest one for me, which I briefly glossed over in my Love Simon review, was that to praise this film, Love Simon would be bought down, and vice versa. I'll do a separate blog post comparing the two and why this is absolute rubbish. I will say, they are both love stories, and are both queer, but that is where the majority of the similarities end. I really enjoyed both films. Both have their strengths, and both have their weaknesses.

Moving on from issues and controversy, lets cover some of the things I love about this film.

The cinematography is brilliant. I love how the shots are set a certain way, to show how stunning Crema is, from the town itself, to Monets Bern. The shots make an already beautiful, culturally rich town look even more stunning. Furthermore, the different angles of the peach tree every so often give the shots an extra layer, and focus on the minute details that maybe you wouldn't notice if it wasn't given to you in its own individual shot.

Another thing I love is how natural everything feels in this film. The film was shot in sequence, and Armie and Timothee had time to bond prior to shooting. Everything feels very authentic and it makes me feel like I am there, with them in Crema during the summer of 1983. I honestly can't wait to see how the sequel takes the final third of the book. That's the thing with adapting a novel into a film, the way this was done makes the ending feel more natural, despite cutting out a third of the book.

I am really looking forwards to the sequel and can't wait to see how that is done. I highly recommend reading the book prior to watching the film, however it isn't necessary to do so. It's more for understanding minor plot points rather than understanding the narrative as a whole.

For all its issues, my love for it, I give this film a 9 out of 10.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

E3 2018 Highlights

What a week it has been in the world of gaming. We've had game play footage, announcements, and enough hype to keep us going through to September. I've also realised how much my bank account will suffer with the number of games that I want to buy.

I'll admit, I didn't watch a lot of E3, but I have been keeping up with it via social media. It honestly makes me wish I could be there. I watched E3 via streams, so I took part in stream chat and it was such a wonderful experience.

Without futher adieu, and in no particular order, here are some of my E3 Highlights.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy Gameplay Footage

For the weeks leading up to E3, a lot of speculation went round about what Spyro news would be shared. The majority of fans, myself included, expected to see concept art from Spyro: Gateway to Glimmer/Ripto's Rage and Spyro: Year of the Dragon. I believe we were hoping for some game play footage and we were not disappointed. It looks stunning. I never played the original trilogy, but I watch so much game play of it, predominately through speed runs, so there were a few things I picked up on. I still haven't warmed up to Sparx's design, and he looks even more dopey when in these demo levels. But the colours, I love the way gems reflect off the grass, the burnt colour you get from singing the grass and the reflection of the boxes in Sunny Flight.

What I hope we'll see in the coming months is more concept art, especially for Spyro: Gateway to Glimmer/Ripto's Rage and Spyro: Year of the Dragon, as well as game play for the other two games. I can't wait for the release date of September 21st. Hey, at least I have a week before lectures start to play through the game.

Soulcalibur VI

I'm not going to lie, I have been excited for this game since Soulcalibur V. I grew up playing Soulcalibur II, and because of the E3 announcement of the season pass bundle, the character reveals and the character game play, I am revisiting the second game.

The character game play, looks incredible. Some of the characters I liked from previous games look better than ever. I've even heard rumours of one of my favourite characters returning, though until it is announced, I'm only taking that rumour at face value.

Though an official price has not been announced for the game and season pass bundle, this is a game I will most definitely have to buy. I am hoping that the game will follow a similar style to Soulcalibur II, with the Weapons Master mode as a story mode. Whilst it is highly unlikely, I definitely preferred this to the story mode of Soulcalibur IV and Soulcalibur V.

Fallout 76

You would think that because I used Fallout 4 in my coursework, I have actually played Fallout before. Well... I only played an hour and got out of the vault. Bethesda Games announced a massive bundle for Fallout 76 (which I will not be getting), as well as Fallout Shelter now being on the Switch and PlayStation 4.

Still, I am really excited for Fallout 76. The game play we were shown looked like even I could play it. And trust me, I am not good at Fallout. Whilst I like that we will be able to play online, I'd probably annoy everyone, so I think I'll stick to solo play until I learn the ropes.

Graphically though, it looks stunning. The transition from the bright and colourful vault, to the seasonal patterns of outside the vault really make me want to play this game. Though the idea of it being four times bigger than Fallout 4 is a bit daunting, there is emphasis on this game should be played multiplayer. With a November 14th release date, this might just end up on my Black Friday list.

Spider-Man

I'll admit, I wasn't too hyped about this game until I saw game play footage of it from E3. With a September launch, I will struggle to not play this game.

From what I can tell, it is a similar format to the older games, but graphically, I love it. I remember when Spider-Man came out on the PlayStation 3 and thinking that it looked stunning. But I was blown out of the water by the attention to detail. I especially love that Spider-Man now runs up the walls, rather than climbs in a very Hunter-esque (Spyro: A Hero's Tail) manner. It's little things like that, that really make me want to play, especially as it shows how fluid the game mechanics are.

Kingdom Hearts 3

This is a game franchise I should have played before. I am saving up for the 1.5 and 2.5 bundle as well as the 2.8 bundle. With a release date of January 29th 2019, I am hoping to have a least played through part of this franchise before then.

It's Disney, so how can I not enjoy it? The Frozen world looks gorgeous, and I absolutely adore the Tangled world. Comparing the character models to their animation, they are so accurate that in a side by side, I struggled to tell the difference.

I will confess, I need to know the history of Kingdom Hearts before I play this game, just so I don't make a complete fool of myself (which I will probably do anyway). I highly recommend Tealgamemaster's videos on the Kingdom Hearts franchise. His are the videos I'll watch to know the game.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Okay, so I've never really show an interest in Assassin's Creed. I know the story, I've seen my brother play hours of it on the PlayStation, and sure Ezio has a decent story line. BUT, Odyssey is set in Ancient Greece! Those that know me, know I am a massive Greek mythology nerd, and have spoken about Ancient Greece in coursework the past few years.

The graphics look fantastic, and in a new addition to the game, you can now play as a Kassandra, a female who shares the same story line as Alexios, the male character. The characters navigate through the tribes in the Peloponessian War with allegiances to the Athenians and the Spartans, as well as various other historical events within Greece. I don't want to spoil it, but doing the last little bit of research for this blog post, I completely fangirled reading it. All the history that I know about, combined with a game franchise that I am familiar with, is making me so happy.

It will be interesting to see how I play the game, considering I've never played it. Still, I am excited for it and this is definitely going on my list.

I'll leave it here, because I could go on for hours. There are other games I am excited for, and games I still need to look into, but you can guarantee I am going to spend a lot of time playing video games over the next twelve months.

10 Songs from my Spotify

10 Spotify Songs

Over social media, I occasionally see tags where you put Spotify on shuffle and write about the first 10 songs that play. I listen to a lot of different genres of music, so I thought that this week I'd share 10 songs from my Spotify.

Dear Maria, Count me in - All Time Low. Oddly enough, this was not the first song I heard from All Time Low, nor is it my favourite. So listening to this song, and even watching the video it's very reminiscent of it's time (I am aware it's only 10 years old!). This song is on my favourite All Time Low songs playlist, and I do enjoy listening to it. I just don't search it out any more.
We Don't have to Dance - Andy Black. Truth be told, I forgot I had this saved. I'm fairly certain it's in a few playlists that I haven't updated in a couple of years. I still enjoy the song, but I definitely don't seek it out. I remember when this came out, and I think I listened to it because a couple of friends liked Andy. This is probably the only solo song I have listened to from him, and I always had the intention of listening to the rest of his stuff.
You and I - One Direction. I'm not surprised a One Direction song showed up. Occasionally, I still listen to their music. I don't think I'll ever stop, I just don't listen to it as frequently as I used to four years ago. Funnily enough, I really didn't like this song when it was released. This was a time I was starting to like pop punk over bubblegum pop, and this song was so slow and bored me. It wasn't until I watched the music video, that I started to enjoy it. I remember all the lyrics to the song, and probably sung it spontaneously, but it isn't in my favourite One Direction songs playlist. Still, it was nice to listen to it whilst writing this.
You are the music in Me - High School Musical 2. The version that I have playing is the Sharpay version, but I actually prefer the original version. Yes, I still listen to High School Musical songs, and I love going back and watching the films. This is one of the songs I forget when I think of High School Musical, probably because I enjoy some of the other songs more. I think the original version is on my favourite High School Musical songs playlist, but not the Sharpay version. I tend not to seek this version out, but I definitely don't hate it. I enjoy listening to the song, just prefer the original to the Sharpay version.
Story of Another Us - 5 Seconds of Summer. I don't know why, but I don't listen to this song as much as I should do. I've probably used it as a character theme at some point, but I don't think it has ever gone into my favourite 5 Seconds of Summer songs playlist. I really enjoy listening to the song, though I don't actively seek it out. It was on the extended edition of Sounds Live Feels Live, so I ended up listening to the song later than I probably should have. I'm definitely going to be listening to this song more.
Life of the Party - Shawn Mendes. This was the first Shawn Mendes song I ever heard, and it was because the video for it played in an ad break between Catfish episodes. Who would have thought Shawn would be the reason I got back into pop music. Listening back to it now, I know it isn't my favourite Shawn song, but it is definitely in the favourite Shawn Mendes song playlist. I think he sung this on the Illuminate Tour, but from what I've heard through videos, it definitely sounds good live. I don't seek this song out, like I do some of the other songs. I'm going to start listening to it more, because I forgot how much I enjoyed it when it came out.
I've got a dream - Tangled. This is not my favourite Tangled song. I don't mind the song, but it's one of those songs I sometimes contemplate skipping. If At Last I See the Light was playing, I'd definitely be praising it. That being said, it's a good song - I just think it works better with the film footage accompanying it. I don't seek it out like I do with When will my Life Begin and At Last I See the Light, but I'm going to make it my goal to not contemplate skipping this song when it comes on.
I'm not the Guy - Lyon Estate. I am so happy that this band made the list, especially since they are so unknown. This is my favourite song on the EP, and definitely a contender for my favourite Lyon Estate song. Listening to the lyrics, I sometimes wonder why I love the song so much, but I really can't explain why. It is a pop punk sound, and I can't resist pop punk at the best of times, but I think everything works with the song. Whilst I missed out on the recent merch release (because I am broke and when I got round to looking, my size had sold out), the new single is out soon! And there are music videos coming out soon! Basically, I'm saying check these guys out because they deserve all the love and support.
Tonight (We Live Forever) - Union J. I haven't listened to this song in years. I haven't really listened to Union J since George left, though that isn't because he left. I actually saw Union J on tour for this album and it was such a good night, and they sound so good live. With this song, I think it was one of my favourites, but I never created a Union J favourite songs playlist. I enjoy the song, and I think if I still sought Union J out, it would be one I'd seek out and listen to. I'm going to start listening to some of my favourite Union J songs more, and see if the list has changed over the past couple of years.
A Million Dreams - The Greatest Showman. I adore this song. When I first heard the Greatest Showman songs, This is Me was my favourite. But, over time, I really came to love A Million Dreams. I think it is because I can use it as character themes, but this as the first major opening song really lifts my spirits. I find myself singing this song more than I should, but I don't care. Any excuse to sing it is fine by me.

I promise my music taste is more varied than pop, pop punk and musicals. I just pressed shuffle ten times on my Spotify, and now have a bit of fixing up on my recently played.

I hope you enjoyed reading some of the songs on my Spotify playlist, and who knows, maybe I'll do more of these in the future, I really enjoyed this.

See you next week!

-Emmaberry-

My First Con: A Year On

My First Con: A Year On.

During this past week, Facebook memories informed me it had been a year since I attended my first con. Attending a con was something I wanted to do, it was just a decision of which one. At the time of booking the tickets for Heroes and Villains FanFest 2017, there were a lot of actors I wanted to see. Whilst the ones I saw on the day were fantastic, some of the ones I originally wanted to see had to cancel because of filming commitments.

I plan meticulously for events, I like knowing my transport, the plan for the day, and the level in which I have to "parent" the person I'm with. But the friend (who I am leaving nameless, and I forgot to ask if they were okay with being named) I went with didn't need that much help navigating London, although travelling from London Waterloo station after a weekend of being at the con meant my patience wore a little thin with the question, "are you sure we're not the right train?" I digress though, for the rest of the weekend was fun.

I enjoyed the con, though there are a few things I wished I'd known beforehand. I'd done my research into the venue, and transport links. Even so, doing your con research, and attending it in real life are two different things.

What I leaned being there? I learned that you should always know where your nearest cash points outside the venue are. You should always allow twenty minutes before and after a meet and greet/photo op/talk etc, to allow for longer wait times for these things. If you want to attend a talk, make sure you get into the queue fairly early. Always take cash, especially if you are taking part in the meet and greets - most of them didn't accept card payments. And never be afraid to talk to the people cosplaying.

Would I have changed anything? The only think I'd change is not getting a picture with the Kylo Ren cosplayer. The story is great, but I was just in awe, overwhelmed and tired at that point, that I just got all shy - cosplayers don't bite! The rest of it, I wouldn't. I got to explore more of the high streets, and it was a nice enough weekend that I didn't mind the extra walking. I adored the meet and greets and though I spent way more than I should have, it's the memories that count and make it more special.

There are cons I wish to attend in the future, however, I haven't bought tickets for them. I'm sure I will definitely attend some more in the near future.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this post! Below are a selection of pictures from the con. A lot of them are merch items I bought.

I have permission from the friend I was with to post the Stephen Amell photo of us. I have more than these, but those are of my friend and I thought I'd only post the one with the two of us in it.

Any vendors I remember buying from, I'll list them with the photos.

Newt Scamander Pop Vinyl. The Flash Pop Vinyl Key Ring Vendor: A Place in Space

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ScriptSupernatural Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot ScriptAll autographs are reproductions of the originals.Vendor: Cowazinga