Winter Views...

Paul- 3 stars ***

Last night I went to see Paul at the cinema with my boyfriend. It was one of those films where I saw the trailer before another film, chuckled a little and vowed I'd see it, and for once I actually did. It stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and having seen Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, I thought it would be a decent watch.

The premise of it is fairly simple, if far-fetched. Two nerdy comic-book type guys (Pegg and Frost) go on a road-trip around America to visit the top UFO sighting hotspots. Whilst travelling, they encounter an alien called Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), and so ensues their mission to return him to his mother ship whilst keeping his whereabouts secret from the mysterious 'Big Guy'.

This has a good plot, and after a while you find yourself believing that it is actually happening, as while Paul is obviously an alien, he does have his flaws (he is only invisible when he holds his breath), which helps to convince us that he is a plausible character. There are some good side stories, and a talented support actress in Kristen Wiig, who plays a bible-bashing young woman called Ruth, who the trio kidnap after she spots Paul by mistake. She then has her life turned upside down upon realising that God doesn't exist.

This was the only qualm I had with the film, as I felt a little uncomfortable at times at how anti- religion parts were. It wasn't so much offensive, but more that the characters they used to show 'Christians' were highly caricatured and stereotyped, and I thought it was a little crude. I couldn't help but feel like it had been potentially marketed at people with the same views, and not being one of those people, I found it a bit insensitive. This is not to say that I am a devout church-goer, far from it, I just thought it could have been portrayed slightly better.

All criticisms aside, I would still definitely recommend it. It is funny and light-hearted, yet has some emotional parts, a good message behind it and some very believable acting. That said, I do think it is an easy job for Pegg and Frost, as they are essentially Graeme and Clive. They make no attempt in interviews to hide that they are massive geeks themselves (and for anyone that's ever seen Spaced, you can believe it!), but say that they have just been fortunate enough to make it big. Fair play. I also love the fact that it came out on Valentine's Day. Anyone who was dragged to see it on the day probably enjoyed it a lot more than a slushy romcom!

Weekly Update!

Food, Friends and Fashion!

The beginning of this week was kind of slow, I did a bit of work, some grocery shopping and hit the gym. I also did some food experiments. I made eggs Benedict, including my own hollandaise sauce from scratch, and a twist on a traditional Victoria sponge through the addition of mixed spice to the mixture, and rhubarb jam for the centre- it was delicious!

On Wednesday I met up with my friend from home who also goes to Lancaster University, and we had lunch in one of the cafes on campus, which I had never been in. I was very impressed, mainly as a pot of tea was just 80p- Venue will definitely be seeing more of me in the future!

On Thursday I went to my friends on campus' flat for tea, cake and a gossip which was fun, and then that evening I went to The Friary for 'a few' drinks. It was an eventful night to say the least, and I definitely felt it the following day!

On Friday the Fashion Society took part in a mini fashion show at The Sugarhouse, called 'Fashion Through The Ages' as part of their 'Old's Cool' night. Despite models cancelling, and it being very last minute (we sorted all the clothes, order and practised just 3 hours before going on the catwalk!) it went really well, and the nerves were all worth it in the end. I was shattered from the night before, so basically left as soon as we had finished, after getting a shot to calm myself down, which I promptly spilt all over the counter as I was shaking so much!

Yesterday I chained myself to my desk, and managed to crank out 800 words of dissertation, which I was proud of. As a reward I went to watch a friend's band play in a small pub in town, and I was pleasantly surprised at what a fun time I had. They were really good, and the crowd participated so it was a really cool atmosphere to be surrounded by. We went for a few drinks afterwards, before heading home- I have definitely had about triple my alcohol intake this week, it's a good job it's reading week next week so I have time to catch up with work and re-cooperate slightly!

Tonight (after hopefully having another successful dissertation day) I am being cooked lamb stifado by my boyfriend, which should be tasty, and then we're going to watch 'Paul' at the cinema... watch this space for a review!