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It looks a bit like this...



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Bev x

...Yep, I bet you heard that one before. About 300 times on each of your friends' Facebook statuses. (This is Blogger; doesn't count.). Anyway, it's been a while since a Beview update so here are some lovely snapshots of my wintry landscape from the weekend. Enjoy! 

Bev x



 The making of something special. It's easy once you're on a roll (see what I did there?); the tricky part is having to lift it.

 In true John Lewis ad style, I went the extra mile and donated my scarf so this cool chap could feel loved. Sadly, he was destroyed by ruthless passerbys later on in the day, the only remnants being a single carrot, two grapes and three M&Ms. The Snowman meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre.


The new boyfriend. He's well cool ;)

Life of Pi can be summed up by a list of synonyms: magical, captivating, breathtaking, spellbinding. Entering the cinema with a preconception of the film being cinematically spectacular in all it's 3D glory, but weak plot and storywise, I couldn't have been more wrong. 30 minutes in, I sat and wept and quietly sobbed my socks off until 30 minutes after the final credits had rolled. Both the plot and the visual masterpiece held me in a tear-stained vice. Even at home, I could not stop marvelling at what a beautiful film it had been and I'll tell you why...

The beauty of the film lies in the storytelling. Narrated by an adult Pi (short for Piscine Patel - the story behind this is a funny one), the audience knows the outcome before the film even begins: he lives to tell the tale. Ok, so we knew that already, but we have no idea what happened, except that it involved a boat, the sea, and a tiger. The narrative, following a style reminiscent of Forrest Gump and Titanic, is a conversation between Pi and The Writer (Rafe Spall). It provides the speech aspects of the film, as there is only so much communication between a teenage boy and a tiger in the flashbacks. Every scene is linked effortlessly and whilst I would usually get irritated by constant narrative, it brings a warming, personal touch to it all. Over 2 hours pass by unnoticed, even though there isn't a whole lot of action (how much could you fit into a boat anyway?), because the story is so delicate and intricate.

The storytelling is continued by a clever summary of Pi's life; from his childhood tales, his search for a God, his following of numerous religions, his first encounter with Richard Parker the tiger, and the events which lead to him and Richard Parker being stranded in the middle of the ocean. Every emotion is acted out powerfully by Suraj Sharma, who has never been in a single movie before this. Considering all his scenes were filmed sans tiger, the interaction was particularly impressive. I cried when he cried, laughed when he laughed. He shows raw talent which so many actors with years of Hollywood experience wouldn't be able to muster. Pi is a peculiar character, with his curiosity, defiance and sense of adventure appearing from his childhood days and proving to save his life at times. It's all done in a way that makes us, the viewers, feel for him at every stage of his staggering journey. He's clever, too, and that accounts for very interesting viewing when you might otherwise have thought that nothing interesting can happen on the same boat in the same spot of water.

The other star of the show is the tiger. The CGI is eerily realistic, successfully building a complete character of it's own out of a wild, untamed animal. The tiger is as much a part of the story of Pi's survival as Pi himself. I mean, how can a teenage boy survive within a few feet of a man-eating scary creature? It's a strange relationship indeed - Tom Hanks had Wilson for company in Castaway, and Pi has Richard Parker. The special digital effects and whatever went into the process of creating a lifelike tiger is incredibly impressive, with impressive detail right down to each whisker.

Speaking of special effects, onto the cinematic side of Life of Pi. The stars in the sky, the stillness of the ocean water, the wildlife of the water, the island (I shan't ruin anything) - everything has "wow" written all over it. If it doesn't win the Oscar for Best Cinematography I'll eat my foot. The 3D paints a vivid and exciting picture and works extremely well within the film - it doesn't need action and car chases and superheroes. It's not just stunning cinematography, but an actual piece of art. Over the years, Yann Martel's novel was deemed "unfilmable" but having watched an interview with director Ang Lee, he proclaimed: "nothing is unfilmable". And he's proved his point rather well. His direction and dedication will, no doubt, win awards. 

This is usually the point where I say something less positive about the film but I honestly cannot think of any. Sitting in the cinema seat, I was probably too overwhelmed by tears (or confusion over why I was actually crying that much) to notice anything I didn't like. Actually, I didn't like that I hadn't packed tissues. I honestly didn't expect to enjoy the film as much as I did, and apart from the whole "boy and tiger in the sea" plot, I had little idea of what to expect anyway. There's also an intriguing plot twist which made me wonder/ponder for days after watching it (again, I shan't ruin anything). 

Ultimately, it is a moving story of survival, strength and hope. It's littered with funny laugh-out-loud moments even in desperate situations, so yes, it is a depressing topic, but it's not depressing. If you're going to watch it - and I think that you should - I really would urge you to see it in the cinema whilst you still can. I simply can't imagine that a DVD would ever provide the same kind of magic I was transfixed by! And I'll leave you with one line (repeated a few times but entirely appropriate and not as cheesy as I make it sound) which you and I can take away from it all: "Above all, do not lose hope."

Bev x

Beview's faces of 2013 was very entertaining to compile. I love spotting talent before it becomes globally, household-name-ish mainstream and all that, and these talented folk are extremely talented indeed. I knew of Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheerans' music before they tore up the charts, and have been confident since Day One that Jeremy Irvine will establish himself as one of Britain's leading actors, so I reckon that gives my psychic abilities a teensy bit of credibility ;) 

Here are my "Ones to Watch" for 2013:

Alice Englert, actress
She's the daughter of an Oscar-nomiated director but Alice, who has already had a leading role in "Ginger & Rosa" opposite Elle Fanning, is set to make her mark in the upcoming film "Beautiful Creatures". It features stuff of the supernatural, a feisty protagonist and teenage romance. She's already impressed me in the red carpet stakes, and as a leading lady only at the start of her film career, she will definitely have earnt her place in the Young Hollywood ranks by the end of 2013.

Intensi-T, beatboxer
Tom Povey, better known as Intensi-T, is quite simply one of the best beatboxers around. He's performed at T4 on the Beach, supported Boyz II Men, and has beatboxed alongside the likes of Ed Sheeran, Nicola Roberts and Rizzle Kicks. His new single "Little Friend" (featuring another up-and-comer Ollie Green) is out now (tis a tune!) and even has his own headline show this month. (You can get tickets here). Having met him several times, I'd call him a friend as well as one of the nicest and most talented people I have ever known. He will be featuring in the first Beview interview this year too! 

Josh Kumra, singer songwriter
It's no secret that I am a little bit in love with Josh Kumra's voice. I've written about him before and seen him perform live (he is lovely), and he's had success with the Wretch 32 collaboration "Don't Go". With a tour and debut album out this year, Josh is going from strength to strength and I don't doubt at all that more and more people will fall in love with his soulful voice. One of my favourite songs of all time is "The Answer", and his new tune "Waiting for You" is out on 6th January.

Samantha Barks, actress, singer and performer 
The upcoming Les Miserables film has made a big fuss about it's big name cast including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried but it is Samantha Barks who will steal the spotlight as Eponine. Having beat out competition including rumoured Taylor Swift, she's the unsung star of the show. I was lucky enough to watch the West End version whilst Sam was still playing the role and I cannot think of anyone better suited. You may remember her from BBC's "I'd Do Anything" as one of the Nancy finalists.

Nina Nesbitt, singer songwriter
Regular readers of this blog may have noticed the name "Nina Nesbitt" crop up quite a bit, and it's because I am so convinced she will become one of the faces of British music.  When her music first came to my attention she had little over 2000 Twitter followers, which has since rocketed to nearly 50,000 and rising. Armed with a guitar, a softly spoken voice and some very catchy tunes, the debut album she's been working on will be released this year. Of her existing hits, my favourites are "Boy", "The Apple Tree" and "Noserings and Shoestrings". It was her haunting cover of David Gray's "Babylon", however, which told me she'd definitely make a big entrance onto the music scene. And she's only 18!

Saoirse Ronan, actress
Saoirse's been on the scene for quite a few years now (remember Atonement?), playing a tremendous range of characters - from vampires to teenage asassins and even the dead. Her movie CV has a lot of film adaptations of books, including The Lovely Bones (one of my favourite books ever), upcoming How I Live Now, and The Host - more commonly known as "the other book written by the Twilight author". It's released in March and although it doesn't share the whole "global phenomenon" element, I reckon it'll be a hit and reaffirm her status as one of the best actresses of her age.

Sophie Sumner, model
Sophie was a runner-up in Britain's Next Top Model several years ago and more recently won the America's Next Top Model: British Invasion series. Since then, she's been featured in Vogue Italia and fronted numerous magazines and campaigns all over the world. They say that the winners of TV competitions fade out of the picture after a short while, but this will most definitely not be the case. Look out for the catwalks!

HAIM, band
Pronounced "Hime", integrating aspects of pop, nu-folk and electrobeats, this is no typical girlband. These three Californian sisters (with the surname "Haim" would you believe it?) have recently been announced as BBC's Sound of 2013. Considering previous winners include Jessie J, Ellie Goulding and Adele, it's safe to say that the poll-topping artists can have very bright futures. 


Bev x
 (myself and Josh ->)

Thanks to Cinderella, every strike of midnight is magical, right? Well the New Year's strike of twelve is the most magical of them all. After countless consecutive years of saying "Next year, I'll watch the fireworks in London", this year I finally ticked it off my bucket list. The buzz of the excited crowd - packed from babies to elderly couples - was like no other, and the backdrop of the London Eye was simply stunning. Say goodbye to one year and hello to the next with a bang. Sadly I was not accompanied by Prince Charming, but when fireworks are that jaw-dropping, well...my prince can wait a little while ;)

Bev x

There are several things I like about a brand new year:

1. It's brand new. Meaning you can turn a new leaf if you need to, and everything feels newly minty fresh. 

2. Spring quickly leads to summer - hooray for not having to hide behind ridiculously fluffy jumpers! I like bright colours and have been dressing to the nines in black and grey this winter. The end of my yellow-dress hibernation will be a happy change.

3. You can convince yourself that this is the optimal time for change: "I will do things different this time" shall be your new mantra. 

4. Resolutions. Oh, those ruddy resolutions. To eat more healthily, cook more inventively (and hopefully blog about them), exercise more, write more, and invent something - are mine. You can make sure I keep my word on that penultimate one.

5. I now have a good enough reason to get all the things that ever bothered me last year. Get your head straight, sort out your issues, know what you want to with your life. It is, after all, so last year.

6. It's 2013 - which means you won't be constantly bombarded with all this "Oh My God. We're going to die this year!" nonsense.

7. This is the year of your birthday again. Older = wiser.

8. New films. Bring on Les Mis!

9. New memories

10. Do what you said you would do last year but didn't . New opportunities.

And on that note, it's time to hit the gym. Resolutions. Oh, those ruddy resolutions...

Bev x