Murdered for Being Different.

I have failed to post for three months now. This post, however, is too important not to write.

Tonight, I finally sat down, amongst my abundance of moving boxes and cleaning supplies, to watch Paul Andrew Williams’ Murdered for Being Different and I am in awe.

To say that I am in awe seems almost thoughtless. That something of this measure could be considered wonderful and incredible seems unjust. Yet, those are just a handful of words that I could use to describe this BBC drama.

Telling the harrowing story of the murder of 20-year-old Sophie Lancaster, Murdered for Being Different is a tale of love and hate. With almost 70,000 reported Hate Crimes in Great Britain alone last year, the importance of telling this story is so astonishingly clear.

Image courtesy of BBC.

Nick Leather’s script delivers this story so well, recording such an unfair and one-sided crime that was unprovoked and so plainly unnecessary. It begs the question: why not choose love? Why are we each not celebrated for our differences, rather than our similarities? Humans were not created to fit a mold. We have our own minds, our own opinions and our own beliefs. That is what is so beautiful about humankind and to pretend otherwise is to provide a disservice to ourselves as well as those around us.

I am keen not to go into too much detail of this tale, though many of you will remember this story from ten years ago when Sophie died due to the injuries that she sustained when she and her boyfriend, Rob, were assaulted purely because of their gothic looks. I do not want to go into these details because I am of the firm belief that everybody should watch this story themselves. Never would I want to write a post that makes you feel that you have already seen it because never could I deliver such an important tale so eloquently.

It feels wrong to call Murdered for Being Different a ‘story’ or a ‘drama’ because it is true. It has happened. Sophie was murdered and this cannot be denied. Yet, this is what it is: a true story that is yours to watch, to learn from and to hold in your heart.

Based on this tragic tale alone, Murdered for Being Different is extraordinary yet the added wonder of Paul Andrew Williams’ direction, Vanessa Whyte’s cinematography and a phenomenal use of music make this drama a cinematic masterpiece. From the very first second, when we are reintroduced to the “world of pure imagination” that transports us straight back to our childhoods, we are hooked on the tale that is about to unfold. We are drawn into a love story of two young adults who had their entire lives ahead of them, but mostly, we are drawn to Sophie, who never had the chance to see how her life would turn out or even to see the movie world of Harry Potter come to its end.

Murdered for Being Different is haunting and beautiful, harrowing and chilling, heart-wrenching and imperative. My heart stayed in my throat throughout but the last fifteen minutes will make you rethink everything you have ever thought of the world. I have never felt such heartache when watching television and I mean that in the most wonderful way.

Film and television is such a powerful medium for storytelling and this is no exception. Murdered for Being Different is, quite possibly, Williams’ best work. A must-see.

 

(I have linked every reference to Murdered for Being Different in this post to BBC iPlayer so that you, Reader, have no excuse not to watch it. Thank you.)

“Where you lead, I will follow.” A Gilmore Girls Trailer Review.

“Winter. Spring. Summer. Fall. Seasons may change, but some things never will.”

What fine words to greet me on a Wednesday evening as I cry my eyes out over the release of the very first trailer for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

Poster courtesy of Netflix/Warner Bros.

If you are new to this blog, you will have absolutely no idea about my love for Gilmore Girls but if you have ever been here for even a second, you will be well aware and probably beyond fed up of my constant mentioning of it. But if you have been Gilmored, you know how I feel right now and you are also jumping up and down excitedly, squealing and wondering how on Earth you are going to manage to wait until November 25th to see our favourite ladies back on our screens. It’s okay. I understand. I’m with you there.

This trailer is nothing short of beautiful. Opening with the familiar hum of Sam Phillips’ beautiful score and perfectly fitting “la la”‘s, we are immediately transported home, back to that quaint Connecticut town of Stars Hollow.

“Oy, with the poodles already!”

It is July 1st and that can only mean one thing: Gilmore Girls is on Netflix UK and your lives will never be the same. Ever.

(Top L-R) Kirk, Miss Patty, Sookie, Richard Gilmore, Emily Gilmore, Paris, Michel and Lane. (Bottom L-R) Dean, Rory, Lorelai, Luke and Jess. Photo courtesy of Movie Pilot.

Fuller House: A Series Review.

As I pointed out in my last post, I recently watched Full House for the first time after I noticed its presence on Netflix. It, along with a number of other old school American shows like The Brady Bunch, was always on my TV bucket list so I went all out and binged the lot. Eight seasons in two weeks, along with job interviews and having a life. It was a sacrifice but somebody’s got to do it!

Way Back When. Photo courtesy of Full House Wikia.

After being somewhat disappointed by the finale of Full House, I was intrigued to see where Fuller House takes off, especially since Michelle Tanner (played by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) would not be making an appearance on the show. I was excited to watch the revival, not just to see what the characters are up to twenty years later, but because I didn’t feel like the final episode gave a lot of closure. In a way, that was good because the show is about a family and their life and, of course, people’s lives change constantly but I would have liked something more. Are D.J. and Steve back together? Will Joey ever find love? What about Danny? How would Stephanie handle high school? I had so many questions, none of which were answered, and I needed to know. ASAP.

“How sad and bad and mad it was – but then, how it was sweet”: There is always a place for nostalgia.

Way back when, I was obsessed (to put it lightly) with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Thanks to my lovely Nan, who I inherited my love of books and movies from, I had all of their films and even the So Little Time dolls. She would also buy me biographies so I could learn all I could about them. This is probably where my love of useless information comes from, as well as my ability to recall said information at random moments. (Fun fact: if you have ever told me what time you were born, I probably remember.)

These biographies taught me that my favourite twins started their acting careers as Michelle Tanner in Full House, the late-eighties sitcom that graced screens until 1995. I had never seen Full House before, which was probably due to a couple of reasons: 1) I was born in 1995 and 2) I never noticed it featured on any British television channels so I’m pretty sure it didn’t come here, or maybe it just came to cable television which I never had.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen with John Stamos. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. TV via TV Line.

Anyhoo, one day, about a fortnight ago, I was scrolling through the beautiful, mystical and ever-changing land of the TV Shows list on Netflix UK and, lo and behold, what do I see? The bright and smiley faces of Bob Saget, John Stamos (*faints*), Dave Coulier, Lori Loughlin, Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Andrea Barber and one of our beloved Olsen twins: the Full House gang.

“You say you’re all dark and twisty. It’s not a flaw, it’s a strength.”

I have had some truly bizarre experiences over the past couple of days and I just had to share them somewhere. For about two days now, I have been feeling wonderful. Really. I can’t stop smiling, I’m laughing a lot and I’m generally in a really blooming good mood.

This past Monday was what I am calling my “last hoorah.” My course-mate held a house party which I attended with a few of my Film Studies friends and it was utterly fab. I played beer pong (badly). I danced (badly). I laughed (a lot) and I said some heartfelt goodbyes (or “see you later’s” as I’d prefer) to some people I care very much about. I was pretty sad to go but I also had such a nice night, which I know I will treasure in my memories of university forever, so I wasn’t overly emotional. Now, I just feel happy. I feel blessed to have been a part of such a lovely bunch of true characters and I know that I have made friends for life.

So, what is the point of this post?

“You can make anything by writing.” C.S. Lewis.

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Toni Morrison.

This is a short one. I love writing. One of my biggest achievements growing up was the 36-page “novel” I wrote about a girl named Molly and her challenging life (cheating parents and wanting a horse really badly). I also wrote (and illustrated!) a short story called “Concentration”, which was about a German soldier who helped a family escape a concentration camp during World War Two which I would force everybody who visited my house to read.

As a child, I was convinced that I would grow up to be a world-famous actress and author. I would write books, turn them into screenplays and be the star of every adaptation. I’m not quite there yet, but who knows what the future holds?!

As my teenage years came around, I strayed a little from the world of fiction (though I’m still very 50/50 with the projects I whimsically jump into – and drop – every now and again) and discovered a love for reporting. You could call me a gossip or an airhead but I just love knowing what’s going on and telling everybody about it. I love researching and learning and I realised that journalism was definitely something I would gladly consider delving into.

“Don’t put dirt on my grave just yet”: Why ABC cancelling Nashville is a tragedy.

Let me take you back to 2013. I was in my final year of school, finishing my A-Levels, and going through a pretty intense break-up. One day, while browsing YouTube (standard), I decided to Google Lennon and Maisy and what do I see? They are starring in new ABC country-music drama Nashville, conveniently about to hit UK television. How did I not know about this? Country music is, of course, my love.

Fast-forward a few weeks and I watch my first episode of Nashville. I am instantly in love. I walk around school the next day singing If I Didn’t Know Better and realising that I was totally right in my dream of wanting to move to Nashville and start a music career. All I want in life is to go to the Bluebird Cafe. I want to wear cowboy boots and sing and strum the strings of my guitar that I can’t play.