My Top 5 Comfort TV Shows.

We all know that someone that can binge watch a TV series or a film over and over and never seem to get bored of it. Well, I'm that person. Whenever I'm feeling sad or lonely I always turn to the screen for entertainment, a digital hug one might say. I have a few shows that I can watch on repeat and it always makes my day feel that little bit easier. If I'm away from home they give me comfort and reassurance, if I just need a huge cry to work something out of my system, then they'll be the go-to avenues to get the flood gates open with a mug of hot chocolate and work those emotions out. Netflix might just be my best friend...and I'm kinda okay with that.

Entertainment of the Month July 2016.

I haven't actually watched as much TV as I normally would do this past month, I've been really putting a lot of time and effort into my blog, but I have to say what I have seen this past month has been probably some of the best entertainment I've seen so far this year. I have 3 things that immediately spring to mind for this post, so those will be the three I'll be focusing on today!

Stranger Things 2016.

The first of which is Stranger Things, a new Netflix original series that has been getting a lot of attention recently and deservedly so. I'm a lover of all things horror and creepy and when I saw the mini trailer pop up I was really intrigued. This series is about as close to perfection as you can probably get. Set in the 80's, a kid goes missing on his way home from staying at a friends and as they try to find him, a mystery unravels about the town they are in and strange things entail! The first thing I'd like to point out is how perfectly retro this is, everything about it screams the 80's, from the Stephen King-esque intro sequence, to the set designs and costumes, its honestly one of the most well crafted TV shows I've seen in a very long time. It also helps that the story and characters are well rounded enough to keep you glued to the screen wanting to know more, including a brilliant performance from Winona Ryder. No spoilers but I really hope this go onto a second series, because the ending was certainly set up with room for another season! I have never recommended a TV show as much as I have this one, so please give it a watch if you can!


The Fault In Our Stars 2014

I probably picked the wrong time to watch this, but I'd noticed this had gone up on Netflix recently and Nick was away on his stag do, so I decided to finally watch it. Big mistake. But not because this film is bad, but because this film is so beautifully sad that I cried for about 3 hours straight. This film is about two cancer patients who meet at a support group and fall hopelessly for each other. It has highs and lows, love, laughter, pain and suffering and complete and utter cryinginaballonyoursofa heartbreak, but I don't think I'll ever forget about this film. It's not very often you watch a film that really gets you so deep you continue to cry for about an hour after it's finished, but I'm so so happy I watched this film and I highly recommend you do too, maybe just bring a box of tissues, some chocolate and a blanket...you'll need it.


Mad Max: Fury Road 2015

I have never really heard much or seen much regarding the Mad Max series but I recently won a competition on Twitter and this came in the DVD bundle I received. Nick and I watched this on a Sunday afternoon with no expectations and I have to say I was really really impressed. As for the story, I was lost for most of it, for a good chunk at the beginning I had no idea what was going on, however the concept of the film is something I've never seen before. The attention to detail regarding the bizarre and clever things they do with the cars is unlike anything I'd seen before. I think I was completely wowed over during the desert thunderstorm scene, as it was so visually impressive. I heard there is another being filmed in this series and I'm very eager to watch it when it comes out. This one really did surprise me, but in a good way for a change, so that's nice!


Hopefully August will be jam packed with exciting new things to talk about, as I  plan on watching Finding Dory, Ghostbusters and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (by my favourites, The Lonely Island).

As always let me know what you think of the 3 things I've been loving and please feel free to send your viewing suggestions my way, I love any type of recommendations!

 

Entertainment of the Month June 2016

This months entertainment I'm going to mix a little with some music and a couple of video games, but as always I have plenty of TV loves that I just can't wait to talk about, so lets get straight into it!

7 Things I learnt From Rewatching Twilight

I've always been a Twilight fan, however shameful that might be to admit in my mid twenties but I read all the books as a teenager and got super into the films when they were released. I've not sat down and re watched them since back then and decided to do so with Nick after seeing them pop up on my Netflix. As always it was interesting to watch them with a fresh adult perspective.

Image source - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8cJfgsSLUEK11B29i_5yIQFjeEoCXsaElQr_TAVBXFjhAY7qtSbDcDbrEHLgnw6ud91EIKmVlw4AvFxRd0TATFebSnO1PpyDagjOzlvD007e_htQO6WliswItKSxxB6bW0BCLvM0wQQ/s1600/Twilight-movies-hd-wallpaper.jpg

01 Edward is kind of a bellend.
Back when I first read the books and watched the films, I was always on Team Edward but watching it as an adult, Edward is weird and stalkerish and controlling. He barely leaves Bella's side, he watches her sleep and kind of torments Bella by being super intense before dropping her like a hot potato. It's really not a healthy relationship.


02 The wedding is actually really beautiful.
I might be a little bias at the minute about weddings but the ceremony in the forest with all the fairy lights is really beautiful, I kind of wish I could do that! We just have to try and forgot about the fact she's about 17 and way to goey eyed about the whole thing...


03 Edward is about 100 years old but still doesn't know how to wear a condom.
It's all fun and games until someone gets pregnant on their first sexual encounter. I guess the 40 years of college education was lost on you huh Edward? Yes, I suppose being dead for however many years means you didn't expect there to be some swimmers hanging around but hey, guess you were wrong.


04 Jacob is a hot dog.
See what I did there? I am a 100% Team Jacob convert. He's so kind and caring and genuinely loves Bella for who she is but she's too goey eyed over cold meat that she seriously friend zones the poor guy. She even gets the nerve to get pissed when he falls hopelessly for her daughter, I mean, cut the poor guy some slack.


05 Vampires have great taste.
The Cullen's house is actually incredible, how does no-one in the little town question something weird is going on? How much money do they think doctors actually make?! Either way, the house is amazing, so is the furniture and they all have great style, not sure if I'm willing to trade my soul for it all though.


06 Turning into a vampire makes you look like a model.
I can't have been the only one that watched that scene and magically watched the full face of make up appear on her and think, damn, Bella a hottie. I wish when I woke up from my Friday night coma I looked this good on a Saturday morning.


07 The Cullens are a pretty sexy family. 
Do you think Carlisle went around picking the most attractive kids to join his #vampgang ? Seriously there isn't one of the family members that I wouldn't. For those that want to know my favourite, always has been and always will be Jasper, he's my bae.


If you can look past all the silly teen vibe of the films, they are actually quite fun to watch, however lame that makes me sound. I love re-watching things like this from an adults view point so I can poke fun at them for these kind of posts. If you've enjoyed reading this you'll probably enjoy 8 Things I learnt from rewatching Sex and the City and 3 Disappointing Moments from the Harry Potter Series. 


If you have any suggestion of TV or films you'd like me to watch for this type of post, please let me know in the comments. Also let me know if you noticed any silly things about Twilight that I didn't!

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Entertainment Of The Month May 2016

This past month I've spent a lot of time catching up on the films I've wanted to watch since they came out but somehow never quite got around to seeing, it happens to all of us when adult life gets in the way. I've gone ahead and talked more in depth about 4 films this month that I felt were the most note worthy.

The Revenant (2015)

I had heard a lot of great things about this film and it was the film that finally got Leo his Oscar but I'm sad to say I found this film a little disappointing. Firstly I'd like to say that the cinematography in this film is stunning, every scene is beautiful and I cannot find fault with the visuals at all, it genuinely looked like the bear fight was real, however I found it really hard to connect with Leo's character and really feel for him. I'm usually a sucker for my emotions but I didn't have any real emotions for this film, which makes me really sad to say. I think I'll eventually rewatch this film alone without Nick (and not on an airplane) to see if that changes my opinion but for now, it was a very disappointing 3 hours of my life.


Pixels (2015)

This is a very Adam Sandler film with a typical hero formula but I'd heard such bad reviews about this one I wanted to make up my own mind. First thing I want to say is that I grew up loving video games and now am lucky enough to work in the video game industry, so my views might be a teeny bit bias but this film didn't deserve the awful reviews it got. It was very cheesy but what else would you expect from a Sandler film? The plot line was a little far fetched and the visuals were suitably impressive but overall I really enjoyed this. It helped it had two of my favourite actors in it, Josh Gad (Olaf) and Peter Dinkledge, they both always make me laugh. I wouldn't call this a must watch but it wasn't a complete waste of an hour or two.


Jungle book (2016)

I have to admit I haven't been the most enthusiastic about the live action reboots of the Disney films, I think it's because I have such a good memory of them from my childhood I'm scared of them being ruined, so I was quite cautious about seeing this. How very wrong I was. I absolutely loved Junglebook, it appeared a little darker than the originals which I actually quite liked about this, Disney films are quite dark and I thought that it was very well portrayed. The only thing I didn't really enjoy was the snake scene, something about Scarlet Johannsons voice as the snake didn't quite fit properly for me and seemed a little out of place but the casting for the other characters were pretty spot on. I loved the way each of the characters retained their eyes, looking into King Louis eyes was like looking into the face of Christopher Walken. I just hope I remain as pleasantly surprised with the other remakes, specially Beauty and the Beast which is my all time favourite.


Inside out (2015)

I've been meaning to watch this for absolutely ages and I have to say I think this film is perfect. The film follows the life of a little girl from birth but from the emotions in her head, the memories she creates and just generally growing up. I cried for pretty much the entirety of this film and it's such a beautiful and creative way to help children understand their emotions. It's films like this that makes me visualise sitting with my own kids, watching this and hoping it helps them understand themselves a little better. It just makes me feel like this film might one day help me and my kids be a little more honest and open with each other, which is pretty impressive to get from a film. I highly recommend you watch this, children or no children.


I have also watched a bunch of other stuff this month but I really felt like these were the ones worth discussing. I'm hoping next month will have a few new additions too as we plan on going to see the new Xmen Apocolypse film at the start of June and I'll be ticking a few films off my 'been meaning to watch for ages' list.

Besides TV and Film I've been listening to lots of Podcasts, I wrote about My Current Top 5 Favourite Podcasts here earlier this month, I really enjoy listening to them at work as it helps pass the time.

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My Current Top 5 Favourite Podcasts.

Up until about 6 months ago I only had a couple of Podcasts in my subscription list however recently my list has grown so much I struggle to listen to them all! Listening to something whilst working really helps me concentrate and zone out background noise and of course it also helps that they are funny and entertaining!

As I found these podcasts from various different places, I thought I'd bring them together in one post so I can tell you all about my current top 5 favourite podcasts.

01 My Dad Wrote A Porno.
I know this is an old one but I've only recently discovered it. This one is pretty self explanatory, someones dad wrote an erotic novel and he reads it out loud with his friends, much to his awkward amusement. This is really easy to listen to and probably shouldn't be listened to at work but it's been keeping me giggling to myself for hours.


02 A Cast of Kings - A Game of Thrones Podcast.
One of my favourite things in life is Game of Thrones and if watching it and chatting about it with anyone that will listen isn't enough, I like to listen to other people talking theories about it too. What's great about this, is that one of the hosts has read the books and one has only seen the TV show, so you get two different views points but without any spoilers. Listening to this on a Tuesday morning is almost as exciting as watching the show on Monday evenings.


03 Jules and Sarah The Podcast.
If you are looking for a pick me up kind of podcast this is perfect for you. Jules and Sarah are both northerners that now live in London but still love everything from up north. This has had me laughing out loud at my desk on multiple occasions and never fails to put a smile on my face. I even get a cheeky shout out at one point that quite literally made my month.


04 The Odd Pear.
When Jemma from Dorkface blog told everyone that she and her boyfriend Gary were starting a podcast I was so excited, I love supporting my fellow blogging ladies and I have to say I actually love this podcast. Each week they pick a topic to talk about and I've loved every single topic so far, from Harry Potter, 90's TV to chatting about serial killers, what's not to love?!


05 Guys We F****d.
This is certainly not safe for work but the pure honesty of this podcast is what I love. Two female comedians talk openly about the men they have slept with and get them on to discuss the encounters. If sex positivity is something you are cool with then this is something fun and interesting to listen to, it's mostly learning about people's lives with a dash of boning, standard.


As I listen to so many podcast I'm thinking about doing another list of podcasts I listen to that inspire and help me with my writing/blogging. There are some really great ones that really leave me feeling inspired and wanting to take on the world so keep your eyes peeled for that post very soon.

I hope you've heard of a couple of  new podcasts from this list and want to check them out, let me know if you listen or enjoy them. Or if you have any new recommendations please please please let me know in the comments because I'm open to a wide variety of topics and would love to add some new ones to my ever growing list!

Entertainment of The Month April 2016

April has flown by and I have to admit I haven't binge watched as much TV as normal, I know, what is wrong with me?! We've had some very brutal cliff hangers and the exciting return of an old favourites, with a dash of Podcasts this month, so lets get into it!

Entertainment of the Month: March 2016

This month has been a pleasant mixture of old and new entertainment for me. I've been reading much more this past month, or at least trying to, so when I'm reading I've just been popping on How I Met Your Mother because I've seen it all before and it's easy for me to zone out to. However I have watched some exciting new programmes too!

Thirteen

So over the Easter bank holiday everyone on twitter was talking about a BBC drama called Thirteen. Any kind of thriller/drama is right up my street so I basically sat and binge watched the entire 5 episodes. It's about a girl that gets kidnapped and held hostage for 13 years who escapes and the drama follows what happens after that. I really enjoyed this programme, keeps you guessing and constantly on edge!


Daredevil Season 2

I really enjoyed the last season of Daredevil, it took me awhile to get into it but I really enjoyed it. Season 2 is finally live on Netflix and I sat down to watch it right away. To be completely honest, I didn't enjoy this season as much as the last, it seems to be very focused around Elektra. Firstly I don't really know anything about her and secondly, meh, although there are still some pretty impressive fight scenes.


Siblings

This is a new comedy that has popped up from Netflix about a brother and sister who live together. A few familiar faces show up and it's typical awkward situational humour. It's great to just stick on and kind of zone out, but I've been generally enjoying this.

The Night Manager

I was also told about this over the bank holiday Easter weekend, so I headed to the BBC iPlayer immediately. Unfortunately episode 1 had already expired, so I asked my lovely friend Beverley to give me an overview of episode one so I was all caught up. It has an all star cast and hellooo Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie (yes I totally have a crush on him too, it's the accent!). It's about an arms dealer who has been basically untouchable by the police for years and the attempt to bring him down with an undercover agent. I really enjoyed this and if you were thinking of watching it I'd jump in right away before all the episodes expire on BBC iPlayer. Controversially one of my favourite scenes is when you see all of the weapons in actions, it's a very impressive light show.



So this month has been a good mix of old and new, I've really enjoyed watching some new thrillers actually, I wish I knew some more. As always, please send me your TV suggestions, I love watching all sorts of shows, so any recommendations are welcome!

If' you'd like to see what I watched last month, you can do so here.

Entertainment of the Month: February 2016

I've been ill twice this month, so I've spent more time than usual binge watching TV whilst feeling sorry for myself. Although I have watched a lot there are a few things that stood out to me, so I'll just dive right into the juicy stuff.

The Martian (2015)

I listen to alllll of the film podcasts and have heard a lot about The Martian since it's release last year but didn't get around to seeing it. Nick came back from the shop one morning after buying his breakfast and had this in hand. We actually sat down to watch this on Valentines day date night. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this film, its really interesting and entertaining, with the right amount of drama. I do have to admit the ending was a little far fetched but I still really enjoyed the film overall and was happy to finally watch it!


Love (TV Series 2016 - )

My friend actually mentioned this in casual conversation last week and I immediately found it on Netflix and sat down to watch. It's about two completely opposite people who accidentally meet and start a strange love/hate relationship with each other. This is right up my street, both of the characters are quite opposites, one's nerdy and quiet and the other is a rebel and a little chaotic and somehow they just seem to get on. It's also written by Judd Apatow, who wrote Knocked up, Pinapple Express and 40 Year old Virgin, so you are bound to enjoy this if you are a fan of the comedy films mentioned. Very easy to watch and I zoomed through it in about 3 evenings.



The Big Bang Theory Season 7 & 8

Netflix has finally added the 2 most recent seasons of TBBT, I've been waiting to watch these 2 seasons for ages so I'm finally up to date. A lot kind of happens in the two seasons, along with plenty of filler episodes but I still love this programme and I can't wait to watch season 9 after the exciting and very sudden ending to season 8.



The Walking Dead Season 6

For all the mega fans of TWD this month was the month that the season started back up again after a mid-season break. It's been pretty fucking drama filled as you would expect and a great start back to the season! I literally can't say anything without spoiling things but you will not be disappointed as a TWD fan.


As you can see I've been enjoying quite a lot of TV this month, I really am planning on watching more movies from now on. I really want to watch Room, The Revenant and Deadpool this month.

Let me know what you've been binge watching this month! Any suggestions welcome! :)

3 Disappointing moments from the Harry Potter series.

Last weekend Nick and I finally finished watching the Harry Potter series and as much as I friggin love it, there are some major things that disappoint me. As a point of reference Nick hadn't read all of the books or seen all of the films so we decided to watch through them all together. 

I guess I should put a spoiler warning here, but if you haven't watched Harry Potter by now you need a slap!

Firstly, it's a real shame that they never touch upon all the passion Hermione has for the welfare of house elves and magical creatures. This is quite a big thing for her character and actually becomes part of her job in the future and I think it's such a shame this isn't touched upon in the films. Could you imagine all the young kids learning about the welfare of animals and creatures through Harry Potter? I feel it's such a shame for the younger generation or none book readers to have missed out on.

Then next up is the heart wrenching moment you realise that Fred has died. At this point in the book I cried my little eyes out and was devastated that a Weasley had died, however in the film this moment doesn't get much air time at all. I was speaking to Nick about the film after it had finished to get his opinion on the ending and I mentioned how sad it was that Fred  had died and he said 'did he? I didn't even notice!'...my point exactly!! After thinking about it a little more, when Harry see's Fred's body it's kind of the defining moment that shit is real and he goes off to face Voldymort but it still feels like a really sad moment that has been skipped over drastically...besides the badass moment of course where Molly defeats Bellatrix Lestrange.

Then finally, my ultimate disappointment is the end scene or chapter of the book. It was kind of expected that we would want to find out what happened to the gang post Hogwarts, but for me, this last scene feels so rushed and cheesy. Firstly, the names that Harry & Ginny call their kids is just ridiculous and so predicable. Don't even get me started on the scene in the film where they are all meant to be 30+ and look about 16...they can animate amazing dragons but they can't make some kids look older?....I am disappoint. To me it feels like this bit was just tacked onto the end as a last thought and was done in the aim of pleasing the fans. I would rather have had something a little more in depth about their lives as something separate, but I guess one can always dream that another book had come out instead...

I still frikkin love Harry Potter despite it's flaws and I am very tempted to start watching through the films again already!

Let me know if anything about the films or books disappointed you! As I'd love to hear your thoughts.


If you enjoyed reading this post, why not check out my '8 Things I Learnt From Re-watching Sex and the City' post.

Entertainment of the Month: January 2016.

This past month or so I have binge watched a serious amount of TV. I thought I'd start a new series here on my blog, I mean, who doesn't love a good series right? I really enjoying watching TV and films, listening to podcasts, reading and a variety of things, so I thought I'd share the highlights each month.



This month has been particularly TV and film heavy even for me, but I'll throw in a pod-casts too that I listen to work.


Jessica Jones.

I don't know why I didn't start this series sooner, I guess when there is hype around things sometimes it puts you off? I have thoroughly enjoyed every second of watching this, it's slightly darker than your average superhero which is why this drew me in. It's set after The Avengers movies so there are cheeky little references to it, which I really enjoy but I kid you not, I binge watched about 10 hours in a row, I only stopped because it got to 4am and I needed sleep. I promptly finished it the next day and I am excited about where the next season is going to go.


Daredevil.

I watched the first episode of this when it originally came out and enjoyed it but for some reason didn't carry on watching it, however I immediately went back to it after finishing Jessica Jones. Again, thoroughly enjoyed this, it's visually and emotionally dark but addicting, it's definitely more action based compared to JJ which can get a little tedious, but I guess it's meant to impressive because he's blind, but I really enjoy the characters, I even started to like the bad guy a little. Very easy to binge watch and again, excited to see where this goes in the next season.



Making a Murderer.
Who hasn't watched this yet?! I LOVE real crime stuff, I've always been interested in dark morbid things and after hearing so much hype about it I started watching it to see what all the fuss is about. I'm not really sure where I stand on this programme, sure it's interesting and the story is one of a kind but it seems awfully bias, especially if you read about it all online after. I do really recommend you watch this but just enter into it with an open mind!



The Harry Potter Box Set.

I haven't watched the full set of films since I was much much younger and Nick has not seen all of them before, so we decided to watch through them together. I frikkin love these films, they totally stand the test of time, the magic is certainly still there and the cast so young is soo cute!!! I was so excited one night that we watched 2 films back to back and ended up going to bed very late but 1000% worth it. We only have 3 films left and this makes me super sad that they are going to be over soon. 

The History of Awesome - IGN Presents pod-cast.

Being a super nerd, I enjoy super nerd shit and if you are a super nerd then you'll enjoy this pod-cast. It starts way back when in 1977 and goes through all the awesome geeky things that happened year by year. They focus on video-games (obviously, it's IGN) films, TV shows, toys, gadgets etc. It's really interesting to re-cap all the cool stuff that happened, especially when it get through to the 90's where I could join in! 

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So that was my best picks of the past month, hopefully this upcoming month brings more exciting entertainment. I'm about to start a new book and I'm in need of a new TV series to delve into!

Let me know what shows you lot have been enjoying, because I would seriously love to know, I'm a proper TV nerd.

8 Things I learnt from re-watching Sex and the City.

I was given the Sex and the City boxset for Christmas and I couldn't wait to re-watch them in order and follow the story properly but when watching it I couldn't help but notice a few things.

1. They never cook!?

They have these beautiful homes that cost an absolute bomb yet they never cook or really spend time at home. What is with that?! Over 6 seasons that spans over 10? years not once do you see them cook. Are takeaways super cheap in New York or are they just super lazy?


2. Carrie's fashion sense is awful.
I'm not really sure how Carrie Bradshaw became this huge fashion icon, is it because she only buys high end clothing even if the clothes/shoes she buys are god-damn awful? In the last season she wears cargo shorts, heels and this big frilly pink top thing and it was seriously one of the most awful things I've ever seen.


3. For a programme about sex...they barely say the word.
So yes Samantha uses the most frank of words but for a programme about sex they often use the phrase 'making love' which is something I wasn't really expecting. I guess the underlying point of the film is that sex is great but it's infinite times better when you are in love with someone.


4. I am Miranda.
There is always one person you relate to the most in a TV show and it turns out I am Miranda. I'm not super girly, I'm all for the honest approach of no bullshit and she basically summed up everything I want from my wedding when she gets married. I just really get her. You don't need to be super into makeup and fashion or heels and you can still be sexy and I think Miranda does this well. (and no, I'm not secretly saying these things about myself, ha!)


5. Big is a prick.
There is no other way to say it, but he's a bell end. I'm all aboard the Aidan boat. He's a furniture designer with great taste, a cabin and a dog, oh and is crazy cute and loving...who wouldn't you want that? Carrie apparently...


6. Honesty is key.
There is an episode towards the end of the entire series where they ask a man on his opinion. 'Why didn't he call?'. The response, 'he's just not that into you'. It's almost ground breaking for multiple reasons, 1. Four intelligent and independent woman couldn't work this out for themselves 2. All they had to do was ask a man and 3. why do they even care? ha ha.
I think we can all learn a little from some honesty, if you aren't that into someone, save them and you a bunch of time and just tell them, don't beat around the bush (cringe).


7.Women are just as confusing as men.
Dating is a cruel and confusing game and it doesn't matter which side of the dating wall you are, that shit is confusing, no matter how many brunches you sit talking about it with your 3 gal pals.


8. Oh and they never take their make-up off before bed.
Nuff said.

The Village Screen: Home Alone Screening.

Last Sunday I was invited to a pop up cinema screening of Home Alone in a warehouse at Kelham Island in Sheffield by the lovely people at The Village Screen.

I'm all for Christmas things and a pop up cinema sounded so fun and different, so I couldn't say no!

My Favourite Christmas Movies.

It's almost Christmas, you've got your tree up and a cheeky snack and all you want to do is snuggle up on the sofa, get the fairly lights and candles on and watch a Christmas film.

For me, the movies I would watch are the following;