The best of TV and Film

In light of the SFX awards (which is a sci-fi magazine) I thought I'd compile a list very similar with my tops in TV and film.

IN TV

Best TV show

Merlin

CAST: Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Anthony Head, Richard Wilson, Alex Vlahos, Rupert Young, Eion Macken and John Hurt.

Call the Midwife

Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Jenny Agutter, Pam Ferris, Judy Parfitt, Helen George, Bryony Hannah and Laura Main.

Downton Abbey

Maggie Smith, Hugh Boneville, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Brendon Coyle, Phillis Logan, Dan Stevens, Joanne Froggatt and Rob James-Collier

The White Queen

Rebecca Ferguson, James Frain, Rupert Graves, Caroline Goodall, Amanda Hale, Max Irons, Ben Lamb, Michael Maloney, Faye Marsay, Aneurin Barnard, Eleanor Tomlinson and David Oakes

Doctor Who

Christopher Eccelston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman, Catherine Tate, Karen Gillian, Arthur Darvil and Jenna-Louise Coleman.

Best Actor 

Colin Morgan (Merlin)

His role as Merlin was his first major part; he is a truly astonishing actor and will go extremely far in the future. He is able to play about fifty different emotions within a single scene. The last series of Merlin is possibly the most heartbreaking thing I have ever witnessed in my entire life all because Colin embodies Merlin to the point of heartbreak.

Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock)

Often referred to as the chameleon for his diversity and ability to make any role he plays unique and incredibly good. As Sherlock he is arrogant and has a very credible talent to speak extremely long dialogs very fast. (If you watch the show you'll understand what I mean).

Bradley James (Merlin)

Watching Arthur go from being an arrogant and spoilt prince in the first series to the Once and Future king was amazing to behold and Bradley couldn't have been a better choice for King Arthur. He and Colin Morgan also get along very well and have a brilliant chemistry on screen and off. 

Aneurin Barnard (The White Queen)

Aneurin really comes into his own in the last four or five episodes of The White Queen. He shows a lot of emotion on his face and is able to make you feel what he is feeling by a simple look in his eyes. I can’t wait to see him in more.

David Tennant (Doctor Who)

Of course I had to include my favourite Doctor on this list, David is able to show the Doctor in love, at war, troubled, happy, sad, worried, angry and I'm not even going to mention The End of Time episodes because his regeneration is ridiculously heart breaking "I don't want to go", no David I wish you hadn't either.

Best Actress

Katie McGrath (Merlin)

Katie shows Morgana's descend into evil in the best possible way. In the first series you love her and then as each series progresses you start to hate her more and more until you physically cannot stand her any longer. It takes great skill to be able to do that and do it well and Katie handles it all with ease.

Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)

Arguably one of the greatest British actresses that has ever lived. If Maggie Smith is in something you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be worth watching. In Downton Abbey she is a hilarious snob and shows what the first class from that age really acted like.

Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)

Despite the fact that I don't love Game of Thrones that doesn't mean to say that I don't love Emilia Clarke. She is literally the best character and it perplexes me why they don't show more of her on the show. She's the type of character that is a feminists dream.

Miranda Hart (Call the Midwife)

Despite the fact that Miranda Hart is originally a comedian as Chummy she is brilliant and you get to see how much of a good actress Hart actually is. What's even better is that despite the fact that in Call the Midwife she doesn't try to be funny she is even funnier.

Amanda Hale (The White Queen)

She plays the Red Queen in the White Queen and she plays the slightly deranged woman with huge skill because as much as you may not support her cause you cannot deny that she is a determined, pious woman. 

IN FILM

Best film

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

This is the film that sparked the already growing Harry Potter franchise. This film is the perfect exam of the absolute crème de la crème of British film making and acting. The best of British and obviously its based from the most successful children’s book in years.

Despicable Me

This is the perfect family film and that is why it is not only included in this list but the best-animated film list as well. Its good for everyone and every member of the family can take something away from it. It’s heartwarming, funny and just simply brilliant.

Cool Runnings

An old classic really, it showcases the determination, hard work and sportsmanship that are required for any competitor in the Olympics. It’s a hilarious and witty film about working hard to beat your dreams and not letting anything get in your way.

Twilight Tower of Terror

This isn't a popular film, so much so that I cant even buy it on DVD for my region (urgh why) and have to watch it on VHS instead. The infamous ride at all the Disney parks are based from this film and the film is whilst old now still a brilliant film that is always in my top five.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone breathe a new ray of life into the Spider-man franchise (At least in my opinion). The story stays pretty true to the comics and I always see myself remembering bits that I read when I was younger. I cannot wait to see the second installment.

Best Actor

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)

Considering that Daniel was only a child when he got the part of the infamous boy wizard, he has continually improved and grown up with us. Having to deal with having one of the biggest franchises in the world on your shoulders is no mean feat, but he manages marvelously and really brings to life my favourite fictional character.

Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter)

The villain that haunted my childhood was a role that couldn't be played but just anyone and Ralph Fiennes brings so much to He Who Must Not Be Named that he is frankly terrifying. You only need to watch the bonus features on the discs to see how much he cares about how Voldemort was portrayed in the films.

Warrick Davies (Harry Potter)

Warrick Davies is another of Britain's finest actors and actresses, if he is in something; you just know it’s going to be good. He has managed to turn what some would call a disadvantage into an absolutely multi-million pound advantage.

Robert Downey JR (The Avengers - Iron Man)

Robert Downey JR completely embodies Iron Man and brings the emotion and physicality that is needed for such a big role. He is hilarious and brings light to dark situations. Super actor and brilliant superhero.

Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers - Loki)

One of my favourite Marvel villains I'm not sure why but he sends shivers down my spine in a way that the others simply cannot. He is clever, devious and completely deranged and Hiddleston plays him to perfection.

Best Actress

Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games)

It’s a hard role to play when the character you're taking over is a heroine to many but Jennifer Lawrence handles it with ease and grace. She has remained down to earth despite her huge successes in the recent years and she's not even 25 yet. So I don't know about Katniss being my role model I think Jennifer does that all by herself!

Maggie Smith (Harry Potter)

There’s nothing else to say that I haven't already said, but with such a class actress as Maggie Smith it was only right that she was included in both film and TV. McGonagall is a teacher you love but certainly wouldn't want to mess with.

Emma Watson (Harry Potter)

Like with Dan Emma was only a child when she got the role of Hermione but her talent was strong right from the start. She has cemented the love for Hermione and has given millions of young (and old) girls a smart girl who doesn't rely on her looks to look up to.

Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers)

She's the only female superhero in a group of males so for that reason I think its only fair that she is included on here. She is a total badass not only as the Black Widow but as herself as well.

Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

Anne Hathaway is breathtaking in Les Mis, her Oscar speaks for itself but honestly she is a flawless actress. She was also in the Princess Diaries which (despite the fact you will deny it) is an awesome film. So it just shows how diverse she is because she can be in a silly teen movie to a completely heartbreaking musical, doesn't get much different than that!

Best Animated Film

Tangled

Based on the famous Rapunzel fairytale however, this is a brand new take on it. Its funny, cute and pretty fulfilling. Pascal and Max the horse are very welcome additions to the storyline, another Disney classic!

Toy Story

This has to be on best-animated film lists because it is one of the best works of my generation. It is another that makes you happy and reflective, oh and also who doesn't love the thought of all of your toys actually being alive?

Finding Nemo

This film is a heartwarming tale about a fathers love for a son and how he will literally go to the ends of the ocean to find him. If that doesn't sound like a premise to a brilliant film to you then you're sorely mistaken.

Monsters INC

This is the type of Disney film that can be for all ages. Everyone will enjoy and the storyline is hilarious but as with all Disney films they all have a secret message behind them that makes you think. This film never gets old and Monsters University is one of the only sequels (along with Toy Story) that hasn't ruined the franchise but enhanced it.

Brave

One of the newest in Disney releases; I like that Merida isn't your stereotypical princess and she is independent and strong willed, whilst she is obviously still a child and makes a few silly mistakes (Come on, Merida, never trust a witch!) its an excellent film with phenomenal animation.

Most Cinematically Pleasing Film

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows part 1

The first Harry Potter film away from Hogwarts but that certainly doesn't take away from the spellbinding views and locations that they used to film.

Brave

As mentioned in the previous list Brave is a fantastic example of a human mind (and hand), they created enchanting scenery by the flick of the hand to leave you mesmerised by the view.

The Hunger Games

The arena itself is in a forest and the Districts are something else to behold. Whilst it isn't the prettiest of sceneries, the locations that they used add to the films ambience tenfold.

Up

Again as with Brave, these two films really show just how ridiculously talented Disney animators are. It seems ridiculous that you can be amazed by places that aren't actually real.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

In the light of the TriWizard Tournament there are several new locations, some enhanced by CGI and others actual locations but none more beautiful than the other and of course any view of the Hogwarts castle has me wishing I were there.

IN BOTH

Sexiest Male

Colin Morgan (Merlin)

Alex Vlahos (Merlin)

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)

Bradley James (Merlin)

Aneurin Barnard (The White Queen)

Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers)

Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock)

Most Attractive Female

Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games)

Katie Mcgrath (Merlin)

Emma Watson (Harry Potter)
Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)

Right thats it for my awards this year and bloody hell that took far longer to write than I anticipated, but oh well! 

Welcome back- royal baby, heatwave and excuses.

I know that my posting has been pretty slacking and when I have posted it is relatively small posts.

That is for several reasons but the first and most important one is that, to be honest I didn’t really have anything to write about. I couldn’t review anything because I hadn’t watched anything new, I hadn’t read anything new because ever since exams my brain has almost shut off from any kind of reading and is only slowing getting back into it now, a month later.

Also, as I’m sure you will know if you live in the UK or seen it on the internet with all of us Brits complaining, but we have had a heatwave and to be honest instead of being on a computer I’ve been in front of a fan with an ice lolly. Something that I did get from reading Tumblr is that people from other countries when it comes to weather are the most obnoxious people ever. To be perfectly honest America, I don’t care if you have it hotter than we have in our heatwave and you cope, because you try dealing with it with no air conditioning and nothing in place for hot weather, because after all we are the land that rains a lot. Also our UV rays from the sun are far stronger than most places and therefore it makes it seem way hotter than what it actually is, so whilst it may be reading 28C really its about 31C. Which yes is still colder than where you are, but shut up. You are used to hot weather we are not and its as simple as that. I have come to the conclusion that Britain is not ready for any kind of weather, we completely fall to pieces when anything out of the ordinary happens- like when it snowed at the start of the year and the whole country shut down well it’s exactly the same with the sun.

Anyway that turned into more of a rant than I anticipated but hay ho. Basically what I am trying to say is that I have several new posts lined up including reviews and possibly even a Merlin fanfiction that I wrote, but I’m still unsure if I want to post that or not. 

Also as a side note, unless you are living under a rock and do not know this, Prince William and Kate Middleton have had their first baby, a baby boy, yet to be named and will be third in line to the throne. The entire country has gone mad about it and apparently so has the rest of the world, in way I am glad that I haven’t had any internet access because I have been down my Nans for a few days, apart from twitter because I would have gone mad with it being the only thing anyone is talking about. None the less CONGRATULATIONS. It must be pretty crazy being a baby and every single person in the world knowing who you are, also imagine calling the Queen, Nan/Grandma, that would be pretty weird would it not? Oh and I've just been told he's called George, which is a lovely name: welcome to the world George. Also how amazing does Kate look regardless to just having given birth? 

Pet peeves of a fiction obsessed sixteen year old

I have probably done plenty of these posts that either tell you more about me or more to the point what annoys me, but this time I'm going to make it more topical. I am going to talk about things in literacy, films and music that irritates me to the end of the earth and back again.

1. When people bend the page of their books and/or bend/break the spine on their books.
Okay, I do think I have a slight OCD when it comes to looking after books and if you look at about 95% of my books in my bookcase, despite having read each book several times, you will not find a single break in the spine or a bend in a page. (Apart from the dreaded initial break that you get just from opening it, but even that one is so faint you can barely see it). Literally whenever I see anyone doing either of those things I just want to slap the book out of their hands and repair the damage immediately. This is also why I very, very rarely lend my books to people unless I know they can be trusted to treat it carefully. This is also another reason why I cannot deal with library books and have never ever read a book from the library because they are always so tatty and broken that it just takes the enjoyment out of reading for me. The care of books is something I do not take lightly, my friend.

2. When there is a misprint or spelling error in a book.
This is just careless on the publishers part; although, granted, its a very rare thing to happen and even more rare with printed books. However, I've noticed especially on E-Books there can be careless mistakes and it takes you a few time to read over the sentence to understand what was trying to be said. It's extremely frustrating because the amount of times that a book is read and re-read and re-re-read before its published silly mistakes should be seen and sorted out.

3.When films based on adaptations just get the casting all wrong.
I know that everyone has their own ideas about what a certain character looks like when they are described in a book. For example, when I read a book I imagine most of my characters as cartoons and so I find it hard to describe a character to another person who is not inside my head. However, sometimes I really do question if the casting people have read the books at all; take the new Divergent movie for example, Shailene Woodley and Theo James look nothing, absolutely nothing like how I would have imagined them (you know if my brain wasn't weird and turned everyone into cartoons) I just feel like its disappointing for the fan of the books. I understand that it would be impossible to find an actor that everyone loves and imagines in the place of their favourite character but at least attempt it. Harry Potter is a fine example of brilliant casting and costume; you can just tell that the casting people took the time to read the books and study the characters with detail. I am just left feeling like that in today's Hollywood, film companies are more interested in whacking out as many films as possible without really investing too much time into them.
p.s I'm sure these actors mentioned above are good, I've yet to see them in anything but this comment is made purely on their looks (vain, I know right).

4.When books could have been finished but the author tries to milk it.
This is extremely frustrating when you find a decent new book series, you read the first few and it seems that all of the events have been rounded off well and nicely, however, then the author keeps writing new books with weaker plots. This makes the series loose its integrity and makes the reader get bored and disengaged with the writing. Authors need to know when its best to put a series to bed: know when to quit, go out on a high. Particular examples of this are The House of Night series and The Mortal Instrument series. The House of Night currently has 10 books in the series when realistically they could have stopped writing them at about book 5/6, I really cannot be bothered to continue reading the rest in the series because it is getting boring and silly. The Mortal Instruments could have been finished on book 3, that would have left the reader wanting more but not really needing it, the 4th book was lacking compared to the others and took me a long time to get through it. What I am trying to say is that if you want to write a successful book series then you need to know when enough is enough, you want the reader to want more but that they don't necessarily need to have any more because the story is strong enough without it.

5.When films change what happens in the books in a very sucky way.
Sucky isn't the most sophisticated adjective but it describes what I am talking about in the best way possible. When a film is based on an adaptation, I understand that somethings have to be changed so that they make it cinematically pleasing but when they completely change the way an event happens in the book to something that to anyone who has read the books just does not make sense, then you know you have a problem. Take Harry Potter (probably the first time I am criticising it on my blog, take note because it wont happen very often, haha) in the last film (Deathly Hallows part 2) Harry snaps the Elder Wand in half and throws it away... however, in the book, Harry uses the Elder Wand to repair his old trusty wand and then returns the Elder Wand back to Dumbledore's grave. According to the film Harry no longer has a wand after he does what he does because it does not show him fixing his previous wand. To any fan of the books this will come as a very large annoyance, it would have taken the film makers literally about 2 minutes to show what happened in the book but instead they decided on a scene that is just stupid.

London and MCM Comic Con!

Yesterday I went to MCM Comic Con in London. It was amazing and an incredible experience to see all of the different Cosplay costumes. I went with my friend Molly and met a girl called Emma, that Molly is friends with at Kings Cross Station.

We started the day by waking up at 5:30 AM (cry) to get the half past 6 train. Unfortunately that train got cancelled because of a fatality on the tracks so we got the later train at ten past 7. The train ride was pretty uneventful except for the fact myself and Molly were duelling on the train and getting funny looks, until we realised we were in the quiet carriage. Woops, sorry passengers! 

When we arrived at Paddington Station we got our tube tickets and made our way to Kings Cross. This was ridiculously exciting for me as I haven't been to London since I was about 4 and had never ridden on the tube, by the end of the day however, the novelty had somewhat worn off! 

When we arrived at Kings Cross we found Emma, Molly's friend, and got in the queue to go on Platform 9 and 3/4. The man who was taking the professional photos was very impressed at how prepared we were with our scarves and wands. 

After we had had our pictures taken we took a trip inside the Harry Potter shop on the platform. It literally took every single ounce of self restrain I had not to buy the whole shop! I did however, buy the photo of myself and Molly on the platform (she brought the one with us doing the spell) and a Ravenclaw scarf! We also got our purchases inside a Platform 9 and 3/4 plastic bag... which may not seem exciting to you but seeing as we have to pay for our plastic bags in Wales, this was great getting one (which was also very cool) for free! ...The simple things in life.

After Kings Cross we made our way on several tubes to London Comic Con. I forgot to take any pictures here, but as I say it was incredible with all the Cosplays. My particular favourite was someone who dressed up as Jack Sparrow, I had to do a double take because he looked so much like him! We saw several YouTubers like Jack and Dean and Crabsticks but I didn't get any photos because I didn't want to stand in the line. We also saw Tom Baker who was the fourth Doctor which was pretty cool but I didn't want to pay £15 for an autograph and a photo so I just watched from afar. 

My overall impression of Comic Con was very positive and I shall be going back next year however, I think my experience would have been ever better if there had been celebrities there that I knew well rather than people who I just vaguely knew in passing. All in all, I would definitely recommend you go if you even vaguely like anything to do with Sci-Fi or especially Anime and Manga.

After Comic Con we went to pizza hut because we hadn't eaten all day and and then Molly and I walked around London. We visited Hamley's because of the massive Harry Potter section they have, M&M World which was amazing and then Buckingham Palace to have tea with the queen and Trafalgar Square to cry that the Harry Potter preimere was held there.

Then at about quarter to eight we went back to Paddington to go back on the train only to find that our carriage was the entertainment carriage and we had a TV in the back of our chairs with four episodes of Doctor Who and five episodes of Miranda along with other things, so that was us sorted!

The best of YouTube #2

Following this post on videos I enjoyed in February, I thought seeing as its two months later almost to the day, that I would update this list on videos I've really enjoyed.

YouTuber Innuendo Bingo With PointlessBlog

- Thatcher Joe

This is literally the funniest thing I have seen in such a long time, I love both of these YouTubers because of their quick wit and sarcasm, but this video genuinely had me laughing for the entirety. 

The YouTuber Awards

- TylerOakley 

This is another video that had me giggling. If you don't know the majority of the YouTubers that they mention then this may be slightly wasted on you, but if you do know who they are talking about then this is extremely funny (and accurate). 

Hallelujah

ChadwSugg Cover

I have known about Chad for a while but only recently checked out his videos, this is by far my favourite of his latest covers. (Also he has just become a dad which is awesome and that video, in which he announces that he is father is very cute, so you should watch that whilst your over there as well.)

Just Keep Breathing

LukeConard and JonD Cover

I really like Luke from his vlogs and I enjoy his music especially when he collabs with others as I feel that his voice compliments others really well. I also found out about We The Kings because of this song and so that is always a plus because the original is already one of my new favourite songs, so thanks Luke!

Just Keep Breathing

We The Kings

this is the original.

Ask Luke! With Chad Sugg

Luke

Another instalment from Luke and Chad, this video was filmed a few months previous hence the Christmas related questions but was just recently posted and this is what made me go and check out Chad because his humour in this is so fantastic!

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

Corey Gray- Once Again Official Music Video

OfficialCoreyGray

Pretty sure that Corey was on my last YouTube favourite videos, but he is one of my favourite cover artists and so when he released this as an official song, I was not disappointed, it's brilliant.

And a bonus video for all you cat lovers (from again Luke)

 

As you can probably tell from these two YouTube posts that I like cover music and funny videos from the YouTubers themselves. Right now YouTube is the only website that I am visiting regularly because of these stupid exams because I have to have my daily dose of music and laughter!