Life Of Pi - 5 stars *****
This was a truly breathtaking film. Even the advert made me emotional it was so stunning, so I had high expectations and it didn't disappoint. It is directed by Ang Lee, who has a very diverse mixture of films under his belt, and it is clear he chooses his projects to challenge his talents - and they have definitely been put to good use in this piece.
I haven't read the book, so didn't really know the story, but it is basically about an Indian boy called Piscine (or Pi for short) whose family own a zoo. His father discovers that the animals will be worth much more money if they are sold in Canada, so the family leave India and embark upon a sea journey to the country. However, they are caught in a terrible storm, and Pi is cast out in a lifeboat alone with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra and a Bengal tiger called Richard Parker.
The film is a sort of alternative coming-of-age story, as it follows Pi's journey at sea, as he struggles to survive, and has to gain the trust of his travelling companions in order to overcome the challenges they face. It is told first hand by Pi as an adult (Irrfan Khan), who is recounting the story to a writer (played by Rafe Spall) who wishes to turn the tale into a book.
Visually, this film is flawless. In particular, the scene set at night where the sea is a swarm of jellyfish is gorgeous, as is one of the earlier scenes where the sky is reflected in the still ocean, so that it looks possible to walk on it like a mirror. 19 year old Suraj Sharma who plays Pi, steals the screen in his debut role, and I am certain we will see big things from him, as he throws himself into character with blind determination, and you don't doubt him for one second.
The soundtrack has been chosen with great care, and really adds to the feel and emotion of the film, I am not going to lie, I was an emotional wreck whilst watching it! It is the perfect mix of philosophy, friendship, loss, love, growth and turmoil, and so touches the old and young alike in different ways. I cannot commend this highly enough - go and see it!
Pizza, Purple Hair & Festive Cooking!
Most of this week I have already spoken about in previous posts! (Ellie Goulding on Monday and Aum's Nativity on Tuesday) however, it has been quite a packed week, so there is plenty more to say. On Wednesday I finished work at 12pm once I'd finished wrapping a few presents and doing some jobs, as Aum finished school for the holidays so his parents took him to see a musical. On Thursday we had to stay in to wait for a courier to arrive to take some parcels, but once he had been we went to Sainsbury's and stopped at Starbucks for a coffee - I always enjoy taking Aum there as he's so cute when he just chats to me. That evening we had our annual Christmas buffet tea and watched A Muppet Christmas Carol, which was lovely as always, and Jasmine and I had a proper laugh saying the lines and messing around.
On Friday Aum had a friend round for the day, so I took them to Pizza Express for lunch. I had dough balls followed by the Capriciossa pizza - it was nice but had anchovies on, which I'm fairly sure wasn't on the menu. I ate it anyway, but it was a bit salty so not as nice as usual. It was my final day at work, so we swapped presents and said our goodbyes until 2013. I dyed my hair that evening, and just had a quiet one watching TV with Jasmine and Mum.
On Saturday I had my eyebrows dyed, and then vegged out pretty much all morning! Jasmine and I went into Altrincham for a bit of a wander in the afternoon, but I didn't buy anything interesting, just a couple of mascaras. That evening we took Lydia on her first outing since breaking her knee, to see Life Of Pi at the Lowry cinema. It was really good, even though it made me cry - lots! (see next week's post).
Today I woke up early and did an aerobics class followed by a gym session, motivated! I then came home and dyed the ends of my hair purple, although I was slightly overly cautious as it isn't as dark or as far up as I wanted, so I am going to redo it tomorrow. Looks nice though. I spent the afternoon cooking various treats for going to Lydia's tonight - I did some asparagus and cheese tartlets, and various Christmas themed crostini. They are safely in the car along with a bottle of wine and some card games for a night of festive frolics! Looking forward to seeing everyone as it has been forever for some of them, and of course eating some yummy food!
Life Of Pi - 5 stars *****
The film is a sort of alternative coming-of-age story, as it follows Pi's journey at sea, as he struggles to survive, and has to gain the trust of his travelling companions in order to overcome the challenges they face. It is told first hand by Pi as an adult (Irrfan Khan), who is recounting the story to a writer (played by Rafe Spall) who wishes to turn the tale into a book.
