an unfortunate catch 22 - the girl on the train.

This afternoon I took myself to my local cinema for a Sunday afternoon by myself to see The Girl on The Train. I'll try and not spoil anything for anyone! You should also know that I did read the book so that should add a bit of perspective for me as a viewer.

First things first, Emily Blunt plays the character of Rachel who is an alcoholic commuter in New York. Her life is caught up with two other women who form the central three characters of the movie. They are played by Hayley Bennet (Megan) and Rebecca Ferguson (Anna). Emily Blunt seems to be copping a lot of flak for this role from professional critics. Some are saying she is flat out terrible - both in her acting as an alcoholic and as a casting choice, deeming her 'too pretty' for the role. On the subject of her acting, I was pretty convinced of her inebriation and thought she really nailed this aspect of the role. I think it was particularly well done given the sheer length of time that Rachel needs to be drunk in the movie and it never felt as if she was overplaying it; you truly did get a sense that she was unsure of herself and what she is capable of. For the second point, while I have read some reviews that state that someone with her level of alcoholism could not look like Emily Blunt, I thought that seeing as she captured the essence of the character so well, this could be forgiven. Also, it is clear that they tried to at least show the physical evidence of her affliction - particularly through a reddened nose and general blotchiness on her face. She also appeared at times to be a bit puffy in the face (perhaps thanks to her pregnancy?). So, overall I had no problem with Emily Blunt as Rachel and thought she did an excellent job.

the truth is out there.

I may be a little late to the party, but this past week I have become obsessed with The X Files. No doubt you have heard of this show, either because of it's spooky plots, recent revival or the scintillating chemistry between its two leads, Mulder and Scully. Gillian Anderson plays sceptical FBI Agent Dana Scully who is assigned to 'The X Files', whose current sole caretaker is the believer Fox Mulder (played by David Duchovny). What I love most about this show can be summed up in two points.

Firstly, as much as I love the 'golden age' of television, it is great to see a show that has kitsch production values and builds upon its own mythology. An episode that particularly encapsulated this is S02 E21 'The Calusari'. This episode included everything from creepy Romanian chanting, evil twin ghosts and an atmospheric bell toll on nearly every hard cut - I loved it! Then there are the mythology-heavy episodes which tend to have multi-episodic arcs dealing with the government cover-up of extra-terrestrial life. As someone who is a sceptic, I am truly shocked by how charmed I am by this show. I think the key to this is the humour between Mulder and Scully. For as much as the plots can be...out of this world (ha!) unbelievable, sometimes the characters really bring a knowing humour. For example, one episode has Mulder saying he believes a victim suffered spontaneous human combustion to a green NYPD detective. As they walk away Scully asks, "Having a bit of fun?".  Or Scully's quips and sarcastic comments, like "Oh so now you're psychic?".

perfection in the scottish highlands.

nearly two years ago.

Possibly my most favourite country/landscape that I have ever visited is Scotland, particularly the highlands. Edinburgh is absolutely stunning and you can definitely feel the history walking around the Royal Mile and down the Closes. But the highlands were something else.

If you have ever been to Switzerland, then you have probably seen stunning mountainous vistas. Yet somehow there is still a feeling of sterile, pristine order. In contrast, Scotland feels totally wild - a true wilderness - even though you hear and see the devastating effect humans have had on the landscape.

As you can see in the above photo, even in August mist clings to the air, and I found it no great stretch to imagine clan warfare and bagpipes haunting across the glens. This actually did happen for me while at Glen Coe. It was incredibly poignant, because Glen Coe is the location of a notorious massacre in 1692.

and on the first day...

...there is a blog post.

Hello, welcome to my blog.

I decided to start this blog in order to have a central focus for all my projects, writings and random fancies. I also decided to start this blog because I wanted to use it as a space to intellectually challenge myself. I have been working full-time for six months now and I seem to have hit a bit of a rut.

I mostly plan to write about my craft projects - my main one being a cross stitch of Van Gogh's Starry Night  - as well as writing reviews for movies, tv shows and books. This is something I have wanted to do for some time, but I have recently returned to the Church of Wittertainment (shout out to any other Wittertainees) which really inspired me to actually do it.

Another page that I would like to develop is a photography page. Photography has always been an interest of mine, and in the recent past I travelled for around 8 months. I'm generally pretty proud of the photos that I took, and would like to put them on here with any associated stories.

Like most people, I hope to become a better writer and inspire myself to pursue my interests. The idea of creating a blog seemed a great way to realise this goal, and helped to satisfy my graphic design bug. I was not naturally into graphic design, but my previous, casual job (and inspiring boss) taught me some great skills. At the moment I am obsessed with art deco influenced patterns and design. I recently moved house and purchased this gorgeous Sheridan quilt cover, the item that kicked off this love affair.

Anyway, this is just a beginning and I really hope to expand the blog generally and generate interesting content.

truly.

sheridan.