Beview: December 2012

2012! A Beview Recap.

To the lovely readers of this blog,

It's that time of the year again, and nearly time to say goodbye to 2012. It's been a huge year full of amazing landmarks, achievements and highlights - personally I'd say it's been the best year of my life so far, too. And one of the big highlights..Beview was born! In the mere 9 months we've been online (plus, I'd say we've actually only properly up and running since July), over 7000 of you have logged on and said hello, from over 50 different countries all over the world, so thank you. In fact, we only hit the 7000 mark last week so that deserves an even bigger THANK YOU.

Let's see...2012 was the year I met a whole new bunch of amazing, fantastically-funny, life-changing people (you know who you are), and was lucky enough to meet a bunch of people you may have heard of, too: Steven Spielberg, Benedict Cumberbatch, Carrie Underwood, Dara O'Briain, Dakota Fanning, Jeremy Irvine - no, no I'm not name-dropping at all... 2012 was also the year of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee - who didn't feel a little bit patriotic?! And of course, the magnificent Olympic Games in London. Being part of the torch relay, opening and closing ceremony experience (close to, but not actually in, the stadium), and victory parade made it very special and something I'll remember for the rest of my life. And Team GB definitely did us all proud too. In other, less optimistic, news, there have been a whopping load of controversies along the way this year too.

Film-wise, we've been in for a 2012 treat. Spielberg epic War Horse, The Avengers which made us all want superpowers (or at least be super-spies), the brilliant The Hunger Games, the final instalment of Twilight, saying goodbye to an incredible trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises, Prometheus, possibly the best Bond yet in the form of Skyfall, a spidey reboot of The Amazing Spiderman, and more recently, The Hobbit and Life of Pi. TV-wise, Sherlock was simply magnificent at the start of the year, stateside Girls has attracted a crowd of attention, Gossip Girl was finally unmasked (was anyone shocked?), Downton Abbey made people cry some more, a dancing dog won Britain's Got Talent, Strictly overtook X Factor in terms of ratings, New Girl became a firm favourite in my TV life (sadly I don't have much of one), and Jenna-Louise Coleman has started making waves as the new Doctor Who assistant, ahead of next year's 50th anniversary. Music-wise, we've all sung along to Call Me Maybe, We are Never Ever Getting Back Together, and danced along to Gangnam Style. Catchy pop has had its year, it seems. (And also, One Direction.)

Well, what can we look forward to in 2013? It's one of my new year's resolutions to blog even more regularly than I have done in the past, and I'll hopefully be reviewing/beviewing more things from both the past and present. The next 12 months will undoubtedly bring new adventures, excitement and challenges - and the one of the best things is that I get to share these with you, too!

Thank you again - so much - for all your support this past year. I would not keep writing if it were not for you reading, and I've honestly been blown away by the sheer number and cultural diversity of you all.

There's not much else to say except...no matter where in the world you are, have a Happy New Year!

See you in 2013,
Bev x

Monday, December 31, 2012
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Film Review: The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey

an unexpected journey

Out of all the films I've reviewed (or beviewed - let's be honest, it's catching on...) in 2012, this is possibly the one I am most excited to write about. I was a massive fan of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy and the hype preceding The Hobbit has been very difficult to miss.

In this 2 hour 46 minute extravaganza, where do I begin? Well, how about beginning at the beginning. We see a very different Middle Earth to the one we saw in LOTR, and a lengthy prequel about the land of the dwarves - and its fall. The Shire is as bright and bubbly as you remember it, and after a brief introduction you meet Mr Bilbo Baggins, played tremendously well by Martin Freeman. I quite like the series Sherlock, so it was interesting seeing him take on such a coveted role as this. He completely pulls it off as a tiny, hairy-footed hobbit and his cluelessness will make you laugh at least several times throughout the film. Freeman had no choice but to turn down the role at first, but director Peter Jackson rescheduled the filming times to suit him. It must have caused a lot of hassle, but it was definitely worth it. Those boots have been filled by a worthy and completely credible actor.

Bilbo is joined by a band of homeless, troublesome dwarves threatening to destroy the peaceful hobbit's life as they try and recruit him to be their "burgular". These are no ordinary dwarves; they are on a quest, or an adventure, to reclaim their homeland. The casting is spot on, with a mix of intriguing personalities played by actors such as Sylvester McCoy, James Nesbitt and lesser known names such as Adam Brown who plays "Ori". They are clearly distinguished as individuals but, despite the long running time, I only knew the names of one or two dwarves by the end of the film and quite a few were unfortunately slightly forgettable (especially if you're comparing it to the Fellowship of LOTR). More screen time and character developing might have solved this, but it might have added unnecessary minutes. Another minor criticism I'd add is that some of their costume make-up is slightly, ever-so-slightly overdone. The leader of the dwarves, Thorin, is the only one I really remember but for good reason. In a career-defining role, Richard Armitage is brilliantly brilliant. There are moments where he reminded me of Aragorn, and his story as heir to the throne is one prominent to the plot.

We get to see some new faces and alas, some familiar ones too. Cate Blanchett as the impossibly beautiful Galadriel, the seemingly ageless Hugo Weaving as elf Lord Elrond (well, they are elves after all) and Gandalf in his Grey but nonetheless still very wise and powerful form. Even young Frodo Baggins - before he turned to the dark side of the f...wait, wrong film. But the possible standout of the bunch is the wide, blue-eyed precious creature. With "precious" pronounced "precioussssss". I am, of course, talking about Andy Serkis's Gollum, to whom Simon Cowell would definitely and accurately say, "you made that your own." His character, so iconically known from LOTR, is the current ring-bearer before the actual significance of the ring is even known. His famous split-personality often sheds a comical light, rather than a sinister one, as he and Mr Baggins engage in a fight using the deadly weapons...of riddles. (You'll see.)

After a confusing turn of events regarding the director of the film, I am very glad Peter Jackson got to take the helm again. Joined by the same screenwriters and composer (Howard Shore) as before, it has a fresh but familiar feel to it. There's a new riff playing (and being sung) throughout, but also a lot of the original LOTR score. I really like that there is constantly instrumental music to accompany and embellish every mood of the film, but it's done in such a way that you don't even notice it. It all goes very well together.

In terms of special effects, the standard is very high these days. Jackson made a controversial choice to film a High Frame Rate (48 frames per second I believe) which I personally don't think made a massive impact, but it has come under fire from a lot of critics. I found some of the camera swoops over Middle Earth a bit blurry in 3D, but that could quite possibly just be my eyes. Having watched it in 3D was a very cool experience too, but it's probably one of those films where it enhances, but isn't necessarily necessary. The gorgeous backdrop of New Zealand provides a spectacular scenery without the need of special effects, but for everything else, it still looks entirely believable. And not forgetting the king of special effects, Gollum; top marks again go to anyone involved in bringing my favourite love-to-hate character to life.

The actual plot of the book The Hobbit has been split into three films, so The Unexpected Journey covers the introduction and how it all came to be, and the journey to the Lonely Mountains. Whilst they don't even get to the point of meeting dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), there is plenty of action once the film gets properly started. Sometimes-clumsy fight scenes and hilarious near-death experiences are very different to the LOTR trilogy and its experienced swordsmen/archers/axebearers, but the action is nonetheless entertaining to watch and there are enough encounters with evil goblins to keep every film fan satisfied.

In most reviews I've read, or where I've heard friends talk about the film, they've pretty much all said "yeah it's a good film, but it's no way near as good as Lord of the Rings." And I've found that in this review alone, I've drawn constant comparisons to the trilogy. But it must be known and acknowledged that The Hobbit is very different; it's more light-hearted in places, there is no one common enemy, and it's all about a different kind of journey. It is undoubtedly an incredible film - one of the best I have seen all year - and if you take away any expectation or comparison generated from LOTR, it is still undoubtedly an incredible film. Whether or not you choose to compare and be disappointed is up to you, but I for one was certainly not disappointed. I can't wait for the next two instalments and I think the future is very bright for The Hobbit trilogy and the brand new adventure it presents.

Bev x
PS. Apologies for the lengthy review! It is, after all, a lengthy film...

Sunday, December 30, 2012
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Merry Christmas from Beview!

beview

Monday, December 24, 2012
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Bon Iver - I Can't Make You Love Me

bon iver

Saturday, December 22, 2012
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Jason Mraz London Gig Review

I'm yours

I'm recapping this concert nearly 3 weeks after it happened, but I can literally still remember everything vividly like it was just yesterday. Jason Mraz at London's o2 Arena. Amazing. Expect slight (and hopefully subtle) elements of fangirling in this post, as he is my all-time favourite music artist and I have wanted to see him live for at least the past 5 years. With Jason Mraz, clever lyrics and melodies, combined with his flawless soulful but acoustic but reggae (and therefore very difficult to categorise, genre-wise) sound, is exactly what I'd be looking for in a live music experience. And when he announced his one and only tour date in the UK earlier this year, I jumped straight onto Ticketmaster to make sure I was part of it.

Managing to secure seats in the front block of the arena meant that I didn't need to watch the gig on the big screens behind, and the buzz in the seating area meant that there was mainly standing (and therefore, dancing) involved. Basically, they were very, very good seats - especially for such a giant venue. That said, I think the whole experience would have been extraordinary for every single ticketholder, even the ones at the very top which you can't buy if you have a fear of heights. I'm not even exaggerating; it was that good. It was also really nice to see such a wide demographic in the audience - children and their parents, teenagers, young couples, old couples, and everyone else in between.

Jason Mraz and his band delivered an intimate yet explosive set. I say "intimate" because the connection and chemistry within the musicians in the band meant they could play and bounce off each other (not literally speaking of course) and you got a sense that they, and the several thousand in the crowd, were all part of a close-knit show. This was shown by the performance of "I'm Coming Over", the hidden track on the latest album "Love is a four letter word", where the entire band joined a corner of the stage one by one until they were all huddled like a family with instruments so that if you really tried to block everything out, you could believe that they were sheltered in a barn simply jamming music. (See the last photo).

In particular, over the course of the evening, the female percussionist who can apparently play a million different instruments stood out playing a box-shaped drum with the most energy I have ever seen anyone with, and the instruments included to also a weird necklace-type bell thing...but hey, that's multi-talented creativity like I've never seen it before. There was also a support act in the form of the very man who encouraged him to pursue a music career which introduced the evening in a special and meaningful manner.

Then onto Jason Mraz, the leading man. In between songs, his observations on things and just life in general made you smile. He sung barefoot, drank from some mysterious brown bottle, and even featured the Youtube sensation Sexy Sax Man. (Youtube his numerous "Careless Whisper" covers if you dare...). There were crazy riffs and melodic introductions and dramatic outros, songs from earlier on in his career such as "The Remedy" and "Plane", and tracks from his latest offering including "Frank D. Fixer" and "The Woman I Love" which featured an actual proposal from one nervous audience member and a "yes" from the most emotional audience member. I think one half of the audience may have shed a tear ( - the females).

Other songs included "Make it Mine", "Butterfly", "Live High", "Only Human", and a heartfelt duet of "Lucky". Of course, he made a big fuss over the track which really put his name all over the global music - "I'm Yours" - merging it with a bit of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds". And the big finale was "I Won't Give Up" (what else?). Arms swaying, couples embracing (boy were there a lot of couples in that crowd...), and phone lights in the air... it was a perfect end to a perfect night. Speaking of perfect too, every single note was pitch perfect. Every. Single. Note.

So, to wrap it all up, it was quite simply the best concert I have ever been to. I've been to a fair few and I usually enjoy the smaller lesser-known artists in the smaller venues, but there was just nothing I could complain about even if I wanted to. One of my favourite songs of Mraz's is called "Life is Wonderful" and my-oh-my was the tour simply...wonderful.

Bev x

All photos featured in this post are copyright to Bev at Beview.blogspot.com and are not to be reproduced without permission.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012
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#BeviewUpdates

2013

(Seasons) Greetings everyone…its December! That time of the year where I freak out and question where the hell my whole year has run off to. Then again, I seem to do that quite a lot anyway… But before I lament the hibernation of my summery clothes and break into Christmas song and dance, I need to address the fact that a lot of time has passed since I last wrote to you all. And make up for it with a series of unnecessary life updates. Not that you’d be remotely interested anyway, but it will make me feel less guilty for my recent lack of posts. And I’m just going to throw an early New Year’s Resolution out there too: I, Bev, will blog more and write more frequently in 2013. There we go. Signed and sealed in Arial font.

Life Bites:

-          I went to see Jason Mraz at the o2 Arena and it was simply quite epic. I’ve been trying to get hold of any Jason Mraz-related tickets for years and it definitely exceeded my expectations; I’ll be putting a gig review up here at some point.
-          There was a sense of Twilight closure as I watched Breaking Dawn Part 2 at the cinema. Again, there’ll be a review of that up soon too. I highly doubt it’ll be the last time you see Taylor Lautner’s ripped abs but there’ll be no more glittering skin after this.
-          Christmas fever is starting, and to make up for completely not feeling “Christmasy” at all last year, I’m starting early. With decorations and of course, shopping.
-          I bought a nice black lace dress from Asos under the pretence that it is my “Christmas party” dress. And totally justified it too because I bought it on sale.
-          There have been a lot of visits to Virgos Lounge on my computer, with their stunning embellishments for the Christmas season. I’m a firm fan.
-          I’ve been doing quite a bit of experimenty cooking lately, with a high success rate and 0 cases of food poisoning. Following that sushi recipe, I’ll be posting more on that soon…
-          I am completely out of it in terms of the whole X Factor shebang. Something about everyone voting for a certain Christopher Malloney just to piss Simon Cowell off? Is he really that bad?
-          Some people confuse me.

And since we’re on the topic of lists and such, how about another one?

Things I’m looking forward to:

-          Christmas. Does it even need saying?
-          Cooking Christmas-related food. Time to tackle that turkey…
-          The Hobbit – I was/am a massive Lord of the Rings fan and I’m intrigued to find out what Mr Jackson and co. have done with this series. I have great expectations.
-          Speak of the devil, Great Expectations – the film adaptation. It stars Jeremy Irvine as Pip so that alone will get me into the cinema.
-          Other films. I may as well invest in an Odeon Card and start collecting points, as there’s a lot I want to see. Including the stellar-starstudded Les Miserables where surrounding cinema-goers may have to endure me trying to be Susan Boyle during “I Dreamed a Dream”.
-          Taking a break from hectic life, relaxing by non-existent fireplaces with a glass of mulled wine and catching up with my lovely friends and family.
-          More friends and family time.
-          Getting to wear my new black dress.
-          2013.

“2013!?” Cue *freaking out and questioning where on earth my whole year has run off to*.

Bev x

Monday, December 03, 2012
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2012! A Beview Recap.

Film Review: The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey

Merry Christmas from Beview!

Bon Iver - I Can't Make You Love Me

Jason Mraz London Gig Review

#BeviewUpdates

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