So I pretty much live at the cinema, as anyone who regularly reads these posts may know as I am often reviewing them after my visits. I don't even review every film so that shows just how much time I spend there! So as the new year is coming up rapidly I decided to rank my top ten movies.
Let's get right into it then.
10. Insurgent (****)
I loved the first instalment and was eagerly awaiting the second, and it didn't disappoint. You can see my review here.
9. Legend ****
This was another film that I knew I had to see as soon as the trailer was released. Tom Hardy was incredible and I don't know anyone who could have played this role any better. See my review here.
8. Ant-Man (****)
I am a huge Marvel fan and this wasn't one I was desperate to see right away when the trailer first came out but then a second trailer came out and all of a sudden I was desperate to see it opening night! It was brilliantly funny and action-packed. My review can be read here.
7. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (****)
I enjoyed this film so much that I ended up going back four days after seeing it on opening night back in August. I loved this movie so much more than I thought I would, mainly because of the leading actors Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. You can read the full review here.
6. Crimson Peak (****)
This is one that I wrote a post about back in May, saying how excited I was to see it. I didn't disappoint, and although it was extremely violent and I was extremely concerned for the age certificate of this movie, I still thought it was brilliant. Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska and Jessica Chastain gave beautiful performances. My full review is here.
5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Episode VII) (*****)
The most anticipated film of the year and it blew my socks off! I only reviewed this one just over a week ago here as it has only just been released. It was great to see such amazing, memorable characters from the older films return alongside the new stars of the franchise.
4. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (*****)
As a massive fan of the book series I knew the films had some big boots to fill and it certainly did it the job. It was an epic ending as the final part to the set of movies. The review I wrote can be found here.
And now we move on to the top three!
3. Jurassic World (*****)
Another addition to an already classic franchise, and this certainly lived up to expectations too. This is probably my fiancé Clay's favourite film of the year, and I can see why. If you love the older films then you will really enjoy this. The review is here.
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron (*****)
At the beginning of the year, before I saw any of these films, I would have predicted that this would be my number one without a doubt or a thought against it. But something managed to pip it to the post. However, this is still one incredible movie that I will happily watch again and again! My review is here.
1. Cinderella (*****)
So here it is, my favourite film of the year. From the moment the trailer for this was released I was hooked and the movie was pure magic and wonder from start to finish. Kenneth Branagh did an amazing job with this live-action remake. Lily James and Richard Madden played their parts beautifully as Ella and Prince Kit. You can find my full review here.
I must also give a special mention to some films that didn't make the top ten, but were still very good:
So there we have it, my top ten films of this past year, and I cannot wait for the films of 2016. There are so many things to look forward to! I'm most excited for Captain America: Civil War! What upcoming films are you excited for?
What were your top ten films of 2015? Did you agree with any of mine? What was your top movie?
I will also be doing a post in the next couple of weeks about the films I'm excited for in 2016!
(Also, just as a little something extra to tell you: This is my 100th post. My New Year's resolution for 2015 was to restart my blog, deleting everything old and starting it over, and to keep it up. I'm proud to say that I kept my resolution this year and have made 100 post for you all! Hooray!)
The first thing Clay and I did was take a picture in front of our Christmas tree as it was our first Christmas in our first house.
We also did ourselves a bit proper breakfast. Clay made pancake batter the night before, so we had that with golden syrup and banana (well, I didn't as I can't stand bananas) and cereal, and we had bucks fizz, tea and juice.
Here's Clay's plate of pancakes. Yum!
How cute are these Santa wine glasses that I got as a gift?! We opened them, washed them, and used them right away! We even added some cute Christmas wine glass charms.
I'm not going to post every present I got, just a few of them. I also want to point out that this isn't a bragging post about what I got, I just want to share a few of my favourite things that made great gifts.
I got a few makeup palettes and a lot of makeup brushes (all by Real Techniques). I was very excited to get the Tanya burr palette as I am a huge fan of her YouTube channel and blog, and because it sold out so quickly in store and online I wasn't expecting it. You can see the colours below.
I was also over the moon when I opened this Smashbox palette as it had sold out when I first wanted to buy it and then I kind of forgot about it, so that was a nice surprise too.
I then got to spend some time playing with my new makeup products.
I also got this beautiful Cinderella-themed watch, which says 'When the clock strikes twelve' on the face and has a cute slipper charm hanging from it.
These cute ballet flats are so sparkly, so now the weather needs to warm up and stay dry so I can wear them!
Something I always get a lot of are books, and this year I got a lot. Here are some of the books I was luck enough to receive. I love Cecelia Ahern's novels and I was desperate to buy 'The Marble Collector' as soon as it came out, but I was told not to - a clear sign I had it for Christmas from someone! This copy of 'Watership Down' is incredible, with beautiful illustrations and a map inside. The other three here are part of a stunning classics collection that I've been after for a long time.
Clay got me these great colouring books because he knows how much I love these shows. Just a heads up for any 'Sherlock' fans, the new special episode airs on New Year's Day on BBC1 and I can't wait!
Finally, how cool are these Marvel Thor socks, complete with a cape?! A lovely colleague at work got me these and I love them!
I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas, and to finish off my post here is a picture of myself with my elf of an uncle on Christmas Day.
I went and saw this movie immediately after seeing 'In the Heart of the Sea' and it was just what I needed after that one.
Most people will probably know what this film is about, and if you watch the trailer it is a pretty straight-forward storyline.
This isn't going to be a particularly long review, because I don't really have too much to say about it except for that parts of it were very funny, but it is a bit of a slow-starter for me. It took me a little while to get into it.
However, by the end of the film I was cracking up laughing and wanting to watch more of Will and Mark.
Will and Mark were great together in this movie, but the stars of this for me were the two children. They were great.
I don't want to spoil things, but just you wait until the Daddy-Daughter Dance scene near the end of the film. It is my favourite part, both with Will and Mark and the little boy.
I would give this movie:
If you like Will Ferrell's films then you will enjoy this one too, but don't be too surprised if the majority of the funny bits are ones you have already seen because they are mostly in the trailer.
This is another film that I saw the trailer for and immediately knew that I had to see it. I'm a huge Chris Hemsworth fan, mainly because of Thor and the Avengers movies, so he kind of sold it to me. Also, when I realised that it was based around the tale of Moby Dick I wanted to see it even more.
As you know, with my reviews I don't like to give too much of the plot or story away because I think the cinema is a brilliant place, and I love the atmosphere and the anticipation of what will happen next.
However, having said that, if you decide to take a trip to the cinema in the next couple of weeks I would recommend that you should see pretty much anything else on offer! I hate to say it, but I was extremely disappointed.
It wasn't the worst film in the world, but I really wouldn't rush to watch this again. Chris Hemsworth was definitely the star of the movie, but there's only so much of a group of men sitting in row boats that I can take, and over an hour of it was way too much. I understand that this is the point of the story, to show how long they were out at sea and seeing their deterioration as they are stranded out in the ocean, but I didn't take that from it, sadly I just got a bit bored.
I feel terrible as I sit here writing this but I would hate to lie about my opinion of it and you go and spend £10 on a ticket just to be bored or disappointed in it - and me for saying it was good.
This review is not to say that other people won't enjoy it. Clay liked it more than I did but he could see where I was coming from.
I would rate this film:
If you go and see this movie do let me know what you think of it because I'm hoping there are some people out there who do love it, because it is such a good idea for a film.
This is something that I've been wanting to try for a while and finally got around to it!
Nutella Hot Chocolate (serves 2)
You will need:
- 2 cups of milk
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp icing sugar
- 1 tbsp Nutella or similar chocolate or hazelnut spread
- Any toppings: whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate chips, crushed hazelnuts, etc.
1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over a medium heat, stirring until it begins to warm and steam.
2. Add the cocoa powder, icing sugar and Nutella and whisk until combined. Bring this mixture to a gentle simmer and take off the heat before it begins to boil.
3. Pour into mugs and add a dash of cold milk if required and then add your desired toppings. I left mine plain for the first time so I could really enjoy the pure taste of it.
This is so easy to make and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did if you get the chance to try it.
I am a massive fan of Make Up Revolution products, and when I say massive I mean it. As in I could spend over an hour at the MUR stand in my local Superdrug and I can often be found on their website after receiving their emails to my inbox telling me about brilliant offers and new products that are available.
Today I wanted to tell you all about one of my favourite items by the brand, which is the Iconic 2 palette. Most people I know love this because it is a very cheap dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette, as it's only £4 compared to £38. But the reasons I love it go much further than this.
The colour payoff is incredible with these eyeshadows, with great pigmentation and staying power. I often use their Aqua Seal liquid eye primer underneath it to make it stay but I have also used them without the primer and it lasts well this way too.
This palette is a great collection of shimmer and matte shades to create some stunning eye looks. I have used every shade in this palette too so I know how I can use them all and there isn't that odd one out that never gets touched, they all get used with me. The palette has also lasted me a really long time considering there are some shades that I use almost everyday. Who wouldn't want an amazing eyeshadow palette for only £4?!
Here are the swatches of all twelve colours from the palette, from left to right:
My favourite look to create is using shade 5 in the crease and on my lower lash line going about 2/3 of the way in, shade 2 over the lid, shade 11 on the outer V with it blending slightly on to the lid and into the crease, and then using shade 3 in the inner corner of the eye to highlight. It's my go-to look with this palette. I plan to wear this eye look on Christmas day with a red lip.
I will hopefully get around to doing a stage-by-stage photo tutorial of the above look at some point.
If you're interested in the palette you can find it here on the Makeup Revolution website, or at most Superdrug stores or on their website here.
If there are any other Makeup Revolution products that you would like me to review or any other makeup items at all that you think I should try then let me know in the comments or via Twitter.
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