A Film Is a Film and doesn't always live up to expectations!

After a resounding 2 months the CCW film review has eventually come to an end. We were shown a huge variety of different films from different eras, nationalities, backgrounds, styles and directors. Each of which differed from the last and gave us a better understanding of many different genres of film that we may never have ventured into before.

         The film I have chosen to review is a Godard film which was one of the first foreign language movies to have been shown to us in the programme, A Woman Is A Woman or as it is said in French, Un Femme Est Une Femme. Upon reading the films synopsis shortly before the curtain went up I felt this was going to be a film that I would really enjoy. My usual film selections are often girly and I love films that are musically based. This usually leaves me at the mercy of my friends and families ridicule but non the less I had sat down prepared to be thoroughly entertained! It used a Parisian burlesque dancer under the name of Angela as its man character in which to spin a tale of longing for a child. The realistic tale I thought would soon have a hold of me and the plot mentioned a love triangle and a very musical feel to the movie. The word “ masterpiece” was written at the top of the page of the synopsis we were given. The curtain rose and the movie started. I couldn’t have been more disappointed!

         


The thin plot line was repeated over and over again. Upon reading many other reviews of the film they all seem to say the same thing, a review in time out magazine said that “It has a thin thread of plot about Karina's desire to get pregnant.”(http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/66564/une-femme-est-une-femme.html) I think by the time I got out of the cinema I knew the words for “I want a baby!” in French fluently! The language barrier here was not the thing that inhibited me from following the film either it was the constant on and off clips of music at random points within scenes. Although I like the use of these clips and admire the director for using them as a clever way of changing the mood, I found it hard to grasp whether the film was a tragedy or a comedy as did many other people!

         The troublesome love triangle which aided in grounding the film and giving the plot a further dynamic did add interest to the film, however, the overall conclusion to the film I found ridiculous. I think at the final scene I just about grasped the true nature between the tragedy and comedy when the boyfriend is told that she has cheated on him and he decides that the time is right to have a baby now just incase she could be pregnant by his best friend. I walked out of the theatre more confused than when I went in. With my head in my hands I walked away chuckling and besotted with such a bizarre film which was in essence so close to reality.

         Although this film was not my cup of tea it did amuse me for a good few days after thinking about it all and I have come t the resounding conclusion that in its day of 1961, it would have been a masterpiece. It would have had scandal and drama and an epic story but next to today’s films,..maybe it just cant cut it as an old classic

To be or not to be?,...well that depends on how long this knit is going to take!

I am not afraid to admit that lately I have been struggling. I haven't posted in so long because of it. I just didn't know what to say to it all. I thought moving to London was supposed to be a fresh new enjoyable start and it has just flown by to the point where I am completely surrounded by stress again. I had an interview last week for a course at LCF and didn't even make it through for an interview. Before that I had spent a week trying to pull a portfolio out of nowhere and was conpletely exhausted. In hindsight it was probably better that I didn't get an interview as if I had they would have thought that I was a complete in co hearent babboon! I literally died on Friday of something going round our class and didn't get my head back into gear until Monday.

I am working flat out at the moment and not sleeping. Everytime I go to close my eyes all I keep thinking is knit knit knit. I even imagine the stitched forming almost like counting sheep except it does however hinder my ability to sleep rather than aide it!!! Most annoying!!!! Portfolio is starting to take better shape now but I need to pull something out of the bag to have it ready for my next 2 interviews on the 23rd and 25th of this month. Having no sleep for 2 days and not being able to sleep now doesn't help this! Lots of exclation marks being used today!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I so badly want to succeed and get onto the right BA however do we really know what is right for us? We may do at the point of consideration but looking back are we ever truelly happy with the choices that we make? I know a bit deep and meaningfully for this time at night ok well morning, but I have really been thinking about this recently. I was wondering what would have happened if I had stayed in manchester this year? Would things have turned out the same? Would life have been easier? Would I not feel this homesick? Would I actually be enjoying myself rather than struggling on through as per? One of the tutors came up to me today as I was undergoing mental torture trying to select pei es for q mini portfolio. He put his are around my shoulder and asked if I was ok. I could so easily have burst into tears but I refrained as best I could from doing so and told him about the stress I was under. Then I looked round the room and saw 2 different girls crying whilst working at their desk and it hit me just how much everyone was feeling the stress of this application process. It makes me wonder,...does everyone sit up until this hour thinking about the same things or do yet sleep easily. I know a friend of mine has to do a serious amount of drinking or worse before he can even begin to stop thinking about the work. I know this isn't right but everyone has their ways of coping. Some people abusE their choice of drug whether it be alcohol smoking or drugs others prefer to cry or talk about it with friends. I sadly prefer to write to myself?!?!? Ok sleep deprevation is definitely starting to kick in now! I don't know this seems to have cleared my head a little. I am no longer thinking of knitting or sheep for that matter but instead am thinking about when I can get back to enjoying my work. Hopefully it won't be too long before I find myself again xxx

Work Today,...make a shoe into another article of clothing!!!! SCORE!

Nail biting descisons,..

As I said I have gone home yesterday evening back to Manchester. I was speaking tonight to my dad about my future and where I was intending on going next year etc how much it was going to cost etc and what I was going to do about it all. Let's just say this conversation was the straw that broke the camels back. I am stressed out over portfolios, projects, relationships, trying to be sociable, finding a job, trying to get onto a course, trying to rent out my flat, having no food in the flat and my friend arrive promptly at 4pm Friday to stay for the weekend. Oh and,...money. I still haven't received my alg support and am needing it desperately. I have no savings to fall back onto and can't ask for more money from home so promptly need a job. However I have no time for a job as I have to do everything that I do to take care of myself like shopping,cooking,cleaning and working on all my portfolio stuff for interviews. I actually have no portfolio for my interviews as of yet and so will have to buy one but fall into the problem yet again of being strapped for cash. Oh the never ending cycle!!!
As for next year I dont know how I am going to afford it and if I will get in and where I am going to live! I need to just collapse in a big heap and cry!!! Can't do that I have too much to do! ok so
Let's try and do something posatibenlike go to an exhibition,...can't do that have too
Much to do and not money to go! Kill Me!!!!
Ok let's speak to your
Friends that's fun. So go into college and speak them and say hey guys what's up. They all subsequently all burst into tears or look like they want to cry and or go
On about how terrible they all feel and the stress that they are under and how they thought this year was going to be fun and demanding but not completely
Take per their lives and make them depressed
And exhausted!!! I try to put a posative spin on things but it doesn't work. This has happened every day for the last 3 weeks. It making me re evaluate everything about next year. I am now saying do I want to do this and I know I love what I'm sound and that I want to do it as a career and I know that going to school down here will give me the best oppertunities but now it's a case of do I want to do this or is it something I know I have to do?!?! My mym keeps saying to me that I am an idiot and should come home. She did the same thing when she was my age except she was only an hour away and said that I was making it far too hard for myself. I know Shea right and if I had stayed in Manchester I would most likely be enjoying life a lot more now but I think coming down here has made me grow up in a lot of different ways than I think I would have done if I had stayed close to home. I love working although at the moment I ambeing extremely artistically challenged and I know this is what object to do to reach where I want to reach. I just need to keep sight of this. I honk anyone who reads this post and is having the same problems should try to find some inner strength to carry on with their passion nonmater how hard it is and no matter how upset you feel as long as you know that if you push through it you will find what you ate looking for at the other side no matter what stands in your way xxx

Deconstructing is slowly killing me

I have a project this time which goes under the title of deconstruct. So far I have cut up a leather boot and an old pair of jeans. I am about half way throungh deconstructing both and I am completely stuck as to what to do after. I have to sort of use the idea of deconstruct but team it with another concept. This would have been a great project had I got off to the right start and combined my deconstruct with another actual concept. Have so far had almost 3 weeks on the project and am completely lost. I looked at Jean Paul gaultiers 2005 fall collection for Dior and thought that was a good place to start but have since struggled to adapt the images I first saw to the objects that I subsequently chose. I have currently left London this week in search of new inspiration and I also wasn't feelin that great due to a combination of stress and a stomach bug so I am currently back in Manchester for a few days. My mum gave me one of her inspirational talks this afternoon over a cup of tea and I felt a lot better and soon got down to work. Started messing with was and trapping stuff in tea bags to see where that got me as my tutor suggested working on a clear material or organza as denigm would have been quite difficult to manipulate. I need to take the detail of the jeans and play around with it on more light weight fabrics which I feel will work really well.

I have sort of come to the conclusion that with Fridays interim crit looming i need to come up with something to show for all the hecticness that's going on in my mind and I am starting to have a few ideas as to where I should go. When looking back at the Dior images I immediately thought to use the boots to make a corset and incorporate the jeans stitching and pocket detail into a sort of skort/skirt idea but full length and elegant. I like this idea but I feel that it is a bit close to where I originally came from. My next idea is to use the boots with the organza to make sort of a rain coat idea with the boots as more of a hood/shoulder pad piece and then the organza or another fabric with the jeans pickets detail as pockets and fastenings further down the rain cloak or mac. Not really sure what to do and could use some input to see what anyone thinks as I seem to be going round and round in circles and I have to be up in like 4 hours!!!!! I think I shall keep looking for the time being and if anyone has any advice please post.it would be greatly appreciated and you would be saving my life quite literally please and thank you xxx

Just a side note here but is anyone stressing out/ feeling not too great at the moment? I just can't seem to Chanel my energy artistically it just seems to be wrapped up in things that are really negative like men issues and home sickness along with the slight problem of not being able to Hoover my flat at the moment. Oh well things can only get better I suppose! Xxx

Fashion shaping with emily!!!

Ok well I blogged last week about my trip to oxford street to find some fabric. Well I managed to find some and it was on sale too! It smelt a bit musty but worked a treat. Here are some of the images I took on my model and friend emily,...she hated me by the end of the day for doing this to her!

The Barbican: 30yrs of Japanese Fashion

This exhibition is well worth a visit even if you are not particularly into fashion. I look at it more as a sculptural piece for the body exhibition as much of it would never be worn in public. I went with my friend Linda from my class and another of her friends Venus who is in vis com at chelsea. We looked around and then sat and drew for a while. i was getting a few funny looks from passers by but the museum even provided stools for people to carry round with them and use,...so I couldn't resist sitting for a while and sketching!!!!!! Go and have a look on the website and especially watch the telegraph video on there,..very insightful! Barbican -> future beauty: 30 years of japanese fashion

This works really well for my new deconstruct project!