Exploding into the mainstream music scene in 2014 with 1000 Forms of Fear, after simultaneously performing and writing songs for years, Sia has become an unstoppable force in the industry. Penning several successful tracks for other artists including Rihanna and Beyoncé, Sia made the transition from behind the scenes to centre stage – despite the fact that she isn’t all too fond of fame itself, and chooses not to show her face during performances, opting instead for her signature silver crop wig. What does a successful song writer do when the tracks she creates are turned down by their intended artist? Fuse them all together to create an interesting new album, of course!
This is Acting is all about the different ‘roles’ Sia is playing by taking on songs designed by her for other artists, and in this way, she is toying with different personas, and acting her way through their ‘style’. In some songs this is quite literal, as she puts on slight accents and adjusts her vocal delivery to give a convincing performance as that star – ‘Move Your Body’ is a prime example of this, as Sia puts on an uncanny Shakira impersonation that the Colombian would be proud of. This is acting at its best, and Sia is a seasoned professional.
A risky venture, Sia manages to pull it off for the most part, and in some cases we get some unexpected gems from the singer. ‘Cheap Thrills’, an exotic EDM mash-up that is very ‘Pon De Replay’ – it’s almost an exciting game in itself to guess who each song was written for – and full of good old summer fun. If you’re on the look-out for the next ‘Chandelier’ then you may find it in the form of ‘Alive’, a powerful anthem that stretches Sia’s vocals to their limits; the end result is quite something. ‘Unstoppable’ is an invigorating delight that is a cheat-sheet for how to make the perfect pop song, whilst ‘House On Fire’ will surely add a bit of spark back into your life with its passionate simplicity.
Of course, for every success there are usually a few missteps, and Sia is not without fault, as tracks like ‘Reaper’ fall flat and don’t possess the same power or acting prowess to see them through to a sturdy finale. Similarly for ‘Sweet Design’ which sounds like a disappointing tribute act to some jazzy pop singer.
While This is Acting is almost like parody, and far from her most personable album (after all, that is kind of the point), it is actually rather clever in the way in which it manipulates songs written for other singers and gives them the ‘Sia effect’. What this means for her future is uncertain, but Sia’s latest album is a testament to her impressive ability as a songwriter and most importantly, her versatility as an artist.
Peggy Carter hasn't got time for your shit. Credit: ABC/Marvel.
What’s a girl to do when you’re a secret agent living in the 1940s and you’re seemingly not needed post-war anymore? Go it alone of course! Agent Carter (or Marvel’s Agent Carter) follows the ambitious and smart-talking Peggy Carter. Once known as Captain America’s right-hand girl, she has now been relegated to lunch-getter and phone-answerer. In this post-war society, Peggy’s role as seemingly the only female agent in the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) has her at a bit of a loss. That is until Howard Stark recruits her to help clear his name, and Peggy is thrust back into the field as a double-agent, finally getting the chance to utilise her skills. After all, disguise, danger, and destruction seem to be this gal’s thing.
While season one focused on this, and Peggy’s attempts to get back the deadly weapons that Stark had been accused of selling while also uncovering who was actually behind the sales. Season two starts off rather amicably in L.A. Leaving the hustle and bustle of New York City behind, Peggy is called in to sunny Los Angeles to help solve the case of The Lady in the Lake – and predictably, atomic weapons seem to be involved (seriously, can they just stop making them? That would solve everything).
One of the most appealing elements of Agent Carter is its focus on Peggy Carter as an independent working woman, highlighting her struggles of character and emotional attachments post-‘Cap’, as well as her ambitions as an agent not content to sit on the side-lines. Hayley Atwell captures Peggy brilliantly, and she has an infectious, and endless energy that can’t help but overwhelm you, breaking down any trepidations you may have had about the casting. Atwell has described her character’s superpower as being that of underestimation, and that she “often uses that to her advantage”, and this is interesting as it offers a view on women in the workplace in that era, and shows how Peggy adapts and manipulates it. Agent Carter is a remarkable woman, who can kick, talk, and think her way out of any scrape, even when an assassin comes to kill her in her humble abode. Fluent in Morse code and filled with feisty back-sass, Peggy is the Marvel Agent we all deserve (and seriously handy in a brawl).
Read the full review filled with Peggy sassiness, here.
Also, just for the hell of it, here's some classic Peggy-goodness:
the SASS.
Also, this would be where we chuck in a trailer, but seriously - the trailer isn't accurate for the series at all and really doesn't do it justice - BAD MARVEL. Just go watch the programme instead. Trust us.
Lizzie Bennet knows what's going on. Credit: Lionsgate.
If there’s something strange, in your country estate, who you gonna call? Zombie slayers. Seth Grahame-Smith’s parody novel of the legendary Austen classic is a mashup of romance, comedy, and of course, the undead brain-eaters. If it seems an utterly ridiculous choice of novel to give the big screen treatment that’s because it is. To say otherwise would be to entirely fool yourself. The rather self-explanatory nature of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is one of its best features; you know you are going to get some pride, a dash of prejudice, and a militia of zombies, and that’s all you can really ask for.
Taking a bite out of Austen’s original plot, the film centres on the Bennet sisters who are caught in an undead epidemic in Regency era England, where a plague has turned local aristocrats into carnivorous cretins. Trying to maintain the line of defence against this disease is legendary slayer Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley), who visits stately homes and executes anyone who shows symptoms, by using his trusty flies. In this alternate universe, the sword-wielding Bennet sisters, headed up by Elizabeth (Lily James), are trained martial artists who are adept in all manners of combat. Charles Dance and Lena Headey also star as Mr. Bennet and Lady Catherine de Bourgh, respectively.
After being whisked off her feet in Cinderella, Lily James is firmly grounded as ‘Lizzie’, the feistiest of all the sisters, who prides herself on her warrior abilities. James is the bad-ass, knife slashing, zombie-kicking heroine you didn’t even know you needed in your life, until now. Commanding attention on screen, but still able to roll with the cheeky humour, James is effortless in her performance alongside Riley.
Read the rest of the review (including thoughts on Matt Smith's hilarious Parson Collins): here.
Publisher: REUTS publications Source: eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley
Pages: 556 Rating: 3.5/5 stars
From author C. L. Denault comes the first in a new series of books - Gambit, The premise promises familiar territory - a war-torn society, an elite class who have fame and fortune, and an underclass who live in poverty. Overall, the book is a solid addition to the dystopian genre, but not necessarily a stand-out read.
The plot on a whole is reasonably engaging, and opens strong, with an intriguing plotline surrounding the main character, Willow, set in her humble village on the outskirts of civilisation. The setting gradually changes, introducing the technological advancements evident in the main city areas, and this provides an interesting contrast with the horse-and-carriage type world from which Willow originates, and helped to keep the story fresh.
Additionally, there was a dose of romance in this book (heavily towards the end, but fairly light throughout) which is just the right amount for readers (like myself) who prefer to avoid novels with nausea-inducing levels of romance.
In terms of the characters: there were a lot. Like, a solid cast of a few main characters, thrown in with a heap of other secondary characters which come and go throughout various points in the novel. With so many characters it was a little tricky to keep up, and although this ensured this provided new life to the storyline, it is something to bear in mind.
Willow is undoubtedly the main character in this book, and thankfully she was a reasonably likeable heroine. She's a little naive, brave, and has a lot of room for growth - some of her decisions did have me questioning her brain capacity.
Reece (who is really the other main character here) was very agreeable to begin with, however I did severely question some of his motivations, and his reason for being interested in Willow. Their 'relationship' needs more development as other than her finding him good looking (and I guess he feels the same toward her?), I'm not really sure as to the foundation of their relationship, like at all. I enjoyed their banter, but it seemed, to me, that their feelings of hate quickly transformed into proclaimed love, which is slightly implausible.
I also enjoyed most members of the Roanoke family and quickly learned to despise the Tiernam family, but the writing does set you up to feel this way. I also didn't much care for Willow's various extended family, as there wasn't enough development of their characters for me to form any attachment to them.
Although, the plot was interesting and had reasonable levels of action, there is definitely the potential for things to be amplified in the sequel, and there's a lot to build upon from this first book, so I'm definitely hopeful.
If you're a big fan of the YA dystopian genre, this is a decent addition and definitely worth a read.
"From the studio that inexplicably sewed his fucking mouth shut the first time, comes... me!"
Take a dash of Kick
Ass’ tone, sprinkle in a bit of Tarantino-style violence, and mix with the
loveable charm of Marvel’s Guardiansof
the Galaxy, and you will have created the sumptuous formula for Deadpool, the latest project from the
legendary studios.
The maniacal movie follows the story of Wade Wilson (Ryan
Reynolds), a mercenary who falls in love with an escort named Vanessa Carlysle (Morena
Baccarin) but is suddenly diagnosed with terminal cancer. Attempting to survive
his death sentence, and spare the one he loves from heartbreak, he turns to an
experimental secret agency who claims they can give him the cure he seeks. Of
course, things go horribly wrong and Wilson adopts the persona of Deadpool to
take revenge on the person, Ajax/Francis (Ed Skrein), who has disfigured him.
At this point, the film feels like Reynolds’ own little
mutant baby that has been moulded for over a decade. Yes, that’s right, the
actor who absolutely murdered The Green
Lantern comes back revived for his scene-stealing role as the ‘sexy
motherfucker’ in the red suit. Thankfully, Reynolds redeems himself in a role
which will have you wondering whether he was indeed created by some sort of
Marvel gods to play this character. Every joke, every twist and every
ridiculous expression is unequivocally Deadpool, and Reynolds exercises such
finesse with every swear-laden dialogue delivery and childish movement.
Starring alongside him, Morena Baccarin captivates in her role as Wilson’s equally
foul-mouthed girlfriend, and Baccarin shows that she has the charisma and
delivery to match his quick-witted puns time and time again. Additionally, Brianna
Hildebrand – a relative unknown – also captures attention with her atomic
abilities and moody stares as Negasonic Teenage Warhead; certainly a one to
watch out for in the future.
It goes without saying that you have to be in the right
frame of mind to watch Deadpool. If
you’re looking for a Merc with a mouth then this film’s got you covered. If you
want satisfying action sequences and a killer climax then you won’t be
disappointed. Just be sure that you’re coming for Deadpool, and not just another Marvel hero, as it probably won’t be
appropriate (it’s not one for the kiddies).
Essentially a frenzied fest of fuckery, Deadpool is every comic book fan’s blissful dream – if your dreams
were filled with profanity, blood and gut-wrenching fourth-wall breaking jokes.
One of the most refreshing things about Deadpool
is it doesn’t assume the audience is an idiot, and there’s so many in-jokes and
pop culture references that even the most well-versed entertainment connoisseur
may struggle to get all of them, and that’s ok, because it’s all part of the
fun. Everything from the opening credits, to the ending sequences is full of
self-mocking, reaffirming that the creators behind this piece knew exactly what
they were going for and committed fully to it.
When Marvel is vastly running out of ways to differentiate
its barrage of movies, as demonstrated by the utterly disappointing The Avengers: Age of Ultron, it needs
something a bit different to distinguish itself, and Deadpool certainly does this. Arguably the best thing the company
has churned out since Guardians of the
Galaxy, it offers something a bit different to audiences who are perhaps
feeling a little disenchanted. Naturally, there are certain elements that you
expect in a superhero film, like the classic villain, the girlfriend, and the
danger, so there are certainly plot elements and structure that the film
follows, but this is to be expected. And certainly, the film does not shy away
from this, setting the scene for such elements in the very blunt opening
credits, which praise the writers and mock other members – like the director
and producers. In this way, the film recognises that the source material and
writing are integral to the story, and commends them as such, which is
surprisingly refreshing to see, as usually much praise is thrust towards other
individuals.
Ultimately, when it comes to unrestrained humour and chaotic
fun, Captain Deadpool reigns supreme.
