Lewis Watson Oxford Church Show: Video

Throwback to last month when i met Lewis Watson! Here is a video Lewis posted on his Twitter only today which shows the accumulated footage from his church shows (predominantly Oxford). I thought i'd post it so you get an understanding of how it looked and what the experience was like. Also it's really exciting because my friend and are on the video thumbnail xD -and therefore in the video! Haha anyway, enjoy! :D

Movie Review: The Fault In Our Stars

Enriching and thought-provoking, a film not to be missed

Someone hand me the tissues

When you're sat on your sofa pondering what film you fancy watching it's not difficult to select a film and immediately watch it from the ease of your computer or TV; then if you don't like it you can stop watching with the click of a button, without having lost a penny. But when we come across a trailer for a new film we have to think a lot more carefully about whether we are willing to watch the film since, at the end of the day, money is money and if you watch a rubbish movie you will have wasted that money. Evidently it's important that the movie you choose to watch at the cinema will be worth the money. I can say with immense gratification that this is a film unlike any others, exceptional and definitely one you will watch without regret.

The movie adaptation of John Green's evocative and poignant novel, The Fault In Our Stars is by far a film you do not want to miss! The film follows the story of sixteen-year-old, Hazel Grace who suffers thyroid cancer. On attending a cancer support group Hazel meets seventeen-year-old  Augustus Waters, who once suffered from osteosarcoma which caused the loss of his leg. These two teenagers are like no other, they face death with a new perspective and courageous strength. It's not just a love story but an insight into the impact of cancer.

Just as with the book, i thoroughly enjoyed this film. It will make you laugh, it will make you smile (trust me, i had a cheesy grin plastered on my face) and as you may have heard, it will make you cry. Undoubtedly the work put into this film was not wasted and i came away in complete admiration for the actors at how they so convincingly created the characters and were able to convey intense emotions in the most part of the film.

Okay. So you will probably pass this off if you don't like films that explore relationships. However if you do have even the smallest interest in romance or just familial relationships being explored in films then you need to get down to your local cinema and watch this film! I can explain to you using as many descriptive words as possible that this is a movie beyond the definition of incredible but honestly words beseech me. There's still time, so the best advice i'd give to you would be to watch this film- you won't be disappointed!

Want more? Why not buy the soundtrack? You can listen to the song All Of The Stars, pinned by singer/song-writer Ed Sheeran just below!

The Fault In Our Stars-Okay-Original song!

So a couple of weeks back i had a burst of inspiration and wrote a song based on the incredibly inspiring and thought-provoking book by John Green, The Fault In Our Stars. This is my song, Okay; i hope you like it, it's my first attempt at writing a song, plus i'm not naturally a singer but i hope you can listen to the lyrics and understand where i'm coming from! I'm sorry for the blurring in the video, i have no idea why my camera decided to do that... just as a note, i was and still am VERY tired so that explains why i look quite apathetic :/ :P

Alternative Ending to The Fault In Our Stars

Here's a little something i've written for a competition, enjoy! :D
http://www.movellas.com/story/201406122239147005-alternate-ending-to-tfios-competition-entry

Music Review: Somebody To You by The Vamps Feat. Demi Lovato

After the momentous release of their debut album, Meet The Vamps, British pop rock band The Vamps have teamed up with American singer, Demi Lovato to create the catchy and upbeat song, Somebody To You.

Characteristically The Vamps sound is iconic and personal to themselves, bringing together the artistry of their guitar playing and drum skills combined with the harmonising vocals of the 4 strapping members. Notably the individualistic sound of lead singer, Bradley Simpson's voice is a fresh reminder that this is a band like no other.

As i have mentioned before, Demi Lovato stars in this song, singing in the second verse with her astoundingly strong and iconic vocals, behind which Brad provides a soft harmony. There's no doubt that such a duet would have caused Demi's fans to flock to The Vamps, in turn supporting their sound and likewise, fans of The Vamps most likely have done the same for Demi; so we can assume that this collaboration has proven extremely beneficial for the artists. However in fact there has been mixed reception with some Demi fans claiming her voice is drowned out by the band, with fans of The Vamps counter-arguing that it is, after all, The Vamps' song, not Demi's.

The band, despite being more artistic and less 'manufactured' in how they sound, does however produce songs that we would stereotypically associate with the 'boy band' label, singing particularly about a girl they adore, pleasing their already huge fan base. Now i don't mind my share of pop music and indeed the essence of rock is there, although fine-tuned, but what the band is challenged by is the reception. Many people tend to pass off pop music produced by 'boy bands', claiming that they are heavily manufactured. Indeed a fair share of artists are 'manufactured' and controlled by the music industry and whilst i admit that there is a slight degree of that here, the fact that the band focuses on their skill and talent not only to sing but also in making great music through the use of their instruments, gives them an edge that many pop groups cannot compare to.

If pop-rock isn't up your street then i can only say that this song isn't for you. However I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the song and i think that even though you may not be into the idea of 'boy bands' it's still well worth a listen. So why not head to your local music store and purchase The Vamps new album? Even better, you can download the album immediately from iTunes here.

Book Review: Crossfire by Dick Francis & Felix Francis

I somewhat dubiously attacked this novel, albeit with the mild but tantalising excitement of turning the first page and reading into a new and intangible storyline. Full of scandalous secrets,writer and renowned post-war National Hunt jockey, Dick Francis wrote the book along with the collaborative input of his youngest son, Felix Francis,which together, they have helped bring together the well-researched knowledge of both horse racing and war to provide an insightful exploration into the possibility and likelihood of many corrupt organisations and fields of work.

The story begins on a high of tension and mystery as we are thrown right into a war scene and just like character, Captain Thomas Forsyth, we aren't fully aware of what has happened until the sergeant tells him that he has lost his foot. This is a very significant point to the background of the story for it directly tells us that there will be constant reference to Forsyth's experience being in the army as well as the difficulties that he will have because of the fact that he only has one leg (despite the effective but irritating use of his prosthetic). Much of Francis' language focuses on militaristic lexis and military history creating a very believable story. Furthermore there is a less significant role of lexis from the semantic field of horse racing, which would have been easily acquired by Dick Francis' experience as a jockey. Not only does the book exhume a great depth of knowledge into racing and war but there is a heavy focus on what is one of the most important elements to the story, finance. Crossfire, although living up to its name when given reference to an unusual occurrence/ change in a horses' gait, is predominantly fixated on the idea of war and the way in which two opposing sides are battling out. Despite no longer serving for the army on 6 month leave (due to the extent of his wound) Forsyth uses his tactical knowledge to battle against foes committing Fraud and blackmail because of a 'Hedge fund' gone wrong.

The action began halfway through the story creating suspense and excitement to which i read fruitfully more and more pages, keen to discover the ending; however admittedly, most of the time in which both Dick Francis and Felix Francis explained the difficult situation of handling finance i found myself incredibly lost and confused. Although i think i posed this perplexity not due to inattention to the details but rather due to my age and as a young reader with little knowledge of finance i think it is quite understandable to feel that way. So in all honest opinion, whilst it was an interesting book i believe that to get the best out of it i'd recommend a readership of late 20s and over; however if you happen to have a love for all things finance i see no problem in taking a stab at it!

Do not be fooled into thinking this is solely focused on horse racing, because it is not. In fact the book does have a background of horse racing but we hear of only a few races where blackmail stems. Yet this novel was written to centre predominantly on finance and the flaws of handling it.

All in all, this is a book sure to keep you engaged and interested and i would definitely recommend reading it, however if you wish to have full coherence of the plot then it may be best to be assured that you have knowledge or interest in finance and perhaps the corrupt exploitation of it, if thriller is a genre you find exhilarating.