Thursday, 23 April 2015

Throwback Thursday: Favourite Disney Cartoons

 
 
Hey guys!
 
 
Today I am going to share with you my favourite Disney films from when I was younger. This is going to be a fairly short post as I have two essays to write and a few other scheduled posts to complete over the next few days.
 
 
As you can see from the photo above, I liked a lot of Disney films as a child. I didn't even include all of them since there were so many!
 
 
 

1. The Lion King

This was one of my favourite films. I loved the songs, especially Hakuna Matata. I recently saw the stage production in the West End and it was amazing!

 
 

 

 
 
 

 
 

2. Tarzan

Tarzan was hilarious!
 
 


 

3. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

This has to be one of my absolute favourites. I've watched Snow White so many times and I've also seen many retellings of it, including Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror.
 
 
 

 

 
 
 

4. Mary Poppins

How can you not like Mary Poppins?! It's such a lovely story and the songs are brilliant too! I've watched it many times and I love all the songs! Sometimes I randomly sing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
 
 
 
 

5. The Aristocats

I love cats so of course I loved this film!
 
 
 
 

6. Peter Pan

Definitely a favourite!
 
 
 
 

7. 101 Dalmations

This is adorable, with all the dogs!
 
 

 

8. Toy Story

Toy Story is amazing! I think they're currently working on the fourth film and I may be in my twenties but I can't wait!
 
 
 
 

9. The Little Mermaid

Love this! The songs are great! I love Part of Your World!
 
 
 

 
 

10. Dumbo

How cute was this?!
 
 
 
 
Nawww!
 
 
 
 
 

11. Cinderella

 Cinderella is definitely in the top 3 on this list, along with Snow White and Toy Story. I just love this story so much!
 
 


 
 
I feel like doing a Disney marathon now after that! I haven't seen these films for yearrrs!
 
 
 
What were your favourite Disney films as a child? Did you like any of the ones I have mentioned?
 
 
 
Hasta luego!
 
 
Serena
 
 
 

Monday, 20 April 2015

April Goodies

 



Hey guys!


Today I thought I'd share with you some treats I've bought recently. I've tried to stay away from buying too much chocolate, but, come on, who can resist chocolate?!



1. The first snack I bought was from Marks and Spencer. Yes, I may be a student, but I still pop in there occasionally since they often do good bargains. I love BBQ flavour things so I decided to get the Honey Barbeque Wholegrain Snacks. I've tried them before and they're really tasty. I think they were around 60p.



2. I bought the Milka Raspberry Cream back in London since I enjoyed the Strawberry Yoghurt and I know Milka products are hard to find in York. Plus the bar was only £1! Although it looks delicious, I think I will be saving it for a few weeks (if I can resist!).



3. I saw a range of Crabbies Fruits in Morrisons for only £1 each. I spent aaages contemplating whether I should buy one or not. I don't usually bring my own drinks when I go out since I usually pre drink in a bar. However, I decided to buy the Crabbie's Fruit Raspberry & Rhubarb as I've never tried this flavour drink before and I love the colour.



4. Anyone who knows me well would be aware of how much I love Lindor truffles. They are irresistible. I wasn't actually planning on buying any anytime soon, but I found them for only £2.25 in Tesco and I simply had to buy them. I've never seen the 200g boxes of Lindor truffles for under £4 before! And Lindor Strawberries & Cream are limited edition so they could disappear from the shelves any time soon (I will be so disappointed if they do, but I've got enough to keep me happy for a while).



5. I don't have many snack bars in York so I bought McVities Breakfast Biscuits with Red Berries. I've been wanting to try some of McVities Breakfast range for a while and this snack was 49p in Morrisons. I actually ate it this morning and it was better than I thought. I like the dried fruit in the biscuits.



6. I guess the Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly is a bit like Aero?? I'll have to taste it to see :P I bought it in a supermarket in York called Heron Foods, which does ridiculously cheap food. The Dairy Milk Bubbly was 65p. Crazy, right?!




Have you bought any of these products recently? What do you think of them?



Hasta luego!


Serena





Thursday, 16 April 2015

Throwback Thursday: TV programmes



Hey guys!


I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and do a Throwback Thursday post. I've seen many similar posts, such as the one here, and decided that it would be a good idea to do my own version.


I used to watch a lot of different TV shows when I was young. Nickelodeon, CBBC and the Disney Channel had some great programmes. I'm glad I was a child at the time when these channels were still good, when there were shows like Lizzie McGuire, The Story of Tracy Beaker and Zoey 101.




1. Unfabulous


I absolutely LOVED this show! I used to watch it all the time! It stars Emma Roberts (Wild Child and Nancy Drew) as a young teenager who is experiencing high school for the first time and has a MASSIVE crush on Jake Behari (Raja Fenske).










2. Zoey 101


I've just looked at reviews for Zoey 101 on IMDB and they are all so negative. I kinda get why (it's unrealistic, blah blah blah), but it is still a little harsh - Zoey 101 is meant for teenagers!!




Anyway, Zoey 101 is about a teenage girl (Zoey, played by Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney Spears' younger sister) who attends a boarding school that previously only took on boys. The show has a few cute romances with some humour thrown in. I only wish that the producers had made more episodes.




Look how cute Zoey and Chase were!!






3. Scooby Doo




Scooby Doo was another show I really enjoyed as a child. I loved seeing all the mysteries the gang solved. Scooby Doo was such a cute dog and Scrappy-Doo was so funny! The theme tune to Scooby Doo is so catchy and I can still remember it even though I haven't watched the programme for years. They made a couple of movies of Scooby Doo years back but they weren't as good as the TV show. I much preferred the animated version.














4. The Story of Tracy Beaker


I really enjoyed watching The Story of Tracy Beaker as a child. It was one of my favourite books and I was so glad that it had been made into a TV programme. Dani Harmer was definitely the right actress to play Tracy Beaker, a kid in a care home (or the "Dumping Ground") who gets into all kinds of trouble. The Story of Tracy Beaker is very realistic - it shows how life is like for kids without parents. I liked how Tracy had a very vivid imagination and told people that her mum was a famous actress who wanted to visit her - I'm sure a lot of kids in her position would want to think that their parents are very successful and do actually want them deep down. There have been a few other shows based on the character of Tracy Beaker and the care home she was in, for example Tracy Beaker Returns. I haven't actually watched these programmes because they're directed at a younger audience.










I also watched a lot of other TV programmes when I was younger, though not as regularly as Unfabulous, Zoey 101, Scooby Doo and The Story of Tracy Beaker. I used to watch The Sleepover Club, The Amanda Show, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Lilo & Stitch and Lizzie McGuire. I used to watch The Sleepover Club quite often. It's about a group of girls who form a "secret" group with no boys or parents allowed. Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide was hilarious. It starred Lindsay Shaw, who portrays Paige McCullers in Pretty Little Liars and Kat in the TV version of 10 Things I Hate About You, as one of the main characters. Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide is different to other teen shows, since it gives you advice about what to do in certain situations you will find yourself in whilst in school.
Lizzie McGuire was also brilliant. I never got round to watching the entire series, but I really enjoyed the few episodes I did manage to watch. I also loved the movie they made of Lizzie McGuire. It is one of Hilary Duff's best roles to date.



I think I vaguely remember this part!









So those are the TV shows I used to enjoy as a kid. Have you watched any of the shows I've mentioned?




Hasta luego!




Serena



Tuesday, 14 April 2015

Cinderella



Hey guys!


Last Friday I went to see the new Cinderella film with my mum and thought that I would share my thoughts with you today.


I'm sure you are all familiar with the Cinderella story; it's been around for centuries and there have been so many different retellings of it. Cinderella is one of my favourite fairy tales. I have seen and read a lot of Cinderella stories and I will have to say that the new film starring Lily James and Cate Blanchett is one of my favourites, along with A Cinderella Story and  Chinese Cinderella. For anyone who is not familiar with Cinderella, it's about a widow who remarries and leaves his daughter (Cinderella) with his new wife, who has two bratty daughters and forces Cinderella to be her servant. One day, the family receives an invitation to go to a ball at the palace, and they are all really excited to go, but unfortunately Cinderella is forbidden to attend. Luckily, her fairy godmother shows up and Cinderella goes to the ball.


Turning classic fairy tales into live-action films seems to be the trend at the moment. I'm sure you will remember Maleficent (2014) and Tim Burtons Alice in Wonderland (2010). Kenneth Branagh's version of Cinderella follows in the same footsteps as these two films. It stars Lily James (from Downton Abbey) as Cinderella. She is a great actress and really captures her character's innocence and charm. Richard Madden was the right choice for Prince Charming, and Helena Bonham Carter brought an element of humour to the film in her portrayal of the Fairy Godmother. However, I did think the actresses playing the stepsisters were a bit too pretty for their roles, though this didn't spoil the film.


Overall, I really enjoyed Cinderella and I'm so glad I managed to see it before going back to uni! The acting was fantastic and I loved the costumes - Cinderella's ball gown was stunning and the glass slippers were gorgeous. Cinderella is a truly magical story and I recommend you see it. You will laugh, cry and smile.


 

 
 

 
 

 
 



 
  

 
 
 
Have you seen Cinderella? Did you enjoy it as much as I did?
 
 
 
Hasta luego!
  
 
Serena
 
 
  

Sunday, 12 April 2015

What I'm Watching On Netflix (and Youtube)

Hey guys!

Now that Season 5 of Pretty Little Liars has finished, and Waterloo Road is over forever, I have had to find other things to watch on Netflix. There are quite a lot of programmes and films to watch and I've tried to watch something every night since PLL finished.



1. The Prince & Me 2

























I watched the first movie in this quartet several years ago during a sleepover. I saw the second film on Netflix and decided to see what it was like. I can't really remember the first one very well, since it was so long ago, but The Prince & Me 2 doesn't seem very good. It's a silly film and the acting isn't anything special. I don't even know any of the actors and actresses in this sequel and I'm not so keen on the fact that Julia Stiles is no longer playing the lead. I would have to give this film 4 stars out of 10.




2. Picture This
























I started to watch this film a year or so ago but for some reason I never got round to finishing it - perhaps I was too tired or something. Anyway, Picture This is an all right movie, but it is definitely directed at girls much younger than me, what with all its typical high-school movie stereotypes. I'll have to admit that it is quite funny, and Robbie Amell is hot! However, Picture This seems fairly similar to Sleepover so I'll also give it 4 stars. 




3. Struck By Lightning

















As I love Glee, and Struck By Lightning stars Chris Colfer, who plays Kurt in Glee, this was on my list of films to watch. It's definitely better than The Prince and Me 2 and Picture This and though it's not brilliant, Struck By Lightning makes a decent coming-of-age film. Chris Colfer is a good actor and Allison Janney is convincing as his alcoholic mother. I think Struck By Lightning is worthy of 6.5 stars.




4. G.B.F.
























I decided to watch G.B.F. because it stars Sasha Pieterse (Alison in Pretty Little Liars), Molly Tarlov (Sadie in Awkward, one of my fave TV shows alongside PLL and Waterloo Road) and JoJo (singer of Leave (Get Out)). G.B.F. (which stands for Gay Best Friend) is an interesting and hilarious film, though the premise is completely ridiculous. I hate the way that the "popular" girls treat Tanner (a gay guy) as an accessory. No, no, no. The film also makes it seem that it is really rare to find someone who is not straight, though this is not true. Nevertheless, G.B.F. is unlike most other high school movies, and both Tanner and Brett are adorable. It is the kind of film you would watch when there is nothing else on TV or you need a break from studying. G.B.F. gets 5 stars. It's not as good as Struck By Lightning, but it is better than Picture This and The Prince and Me 2.




5. Yours, Mine and Ours

 
Yours, Mine and Ours is a film I've been meaning to watch for a while. However, I kept putting it off. No idea why. I finally got round to watching it Yours, Mine and Ours a few days before Easter Sunday. I actually quite enjoyed Yours, Mine and Ours. It was hilarious and the acting wasn't bad. As with G.B.F., Yours, Mine and Ours is based on a totally ridiculous concept. A man with 8 kids who marries a woman with 10 kids? I just can't see that happening in real life. Who would want to put up with 18 kids?! It was funny to see all the mischief the children got up to in order to try to split their parents up. Yours, Mine and Ours is a bit like Cheaper By the Dozen, but I enjoyed both films. It gets 6 stars from me and I would definitely recommend it as a film to watch as a family.



6. The Roommate


 























This is another film I've been putting off. I thought it would be scary, but in reality it isn't; The Roommate is just really, really creepy. It's also very strange. The Roommate is about a college student called Sara (Minka Kelly) who moves into a new room and has to share it with another girl, Rebecca(Leighton Meester). It soon becomes clear that Rebecca is obsessed with Sara and will do anything to keep Sara to herself. The Roommate is a good film to watch on a sleepover, but the acting is average and it kind of jumps from a "normal" movie to a horror. I've noticed that a lot of reviews compare The Roommate to Single White Female, which seems to have a similar plot to The Roommate, though the latter is set in university accommodation rather than a regular apartment. I haven't seen Single White Female so I can't compare the two films. Judging by what I've read, they do seem very similar. Taking all this into account, I will give The Roommate 4.5 stars.



8. Cherry
























(watched on Youtube)

Cherry is a comedy about a socially awkward freshman (called Aaron) who develops a crush on an older woman in one of his classes. He is invited over to her house for dinner and meets her sarcastic teenage daughter, Beth (Britt Robertson). Cherry is one of those hidden films you find when looking up actors on IMDB (is it just me who does that?). I'm glad I came across Cherry as it is a lovely film. The cast is great and the scenery is beautiful. I give Cherry 6.5 stars.


9. Sorority Wars


















(also watched on Youtube)

Lucy Hale is the main character in Sorority Wars and she is one of my favourite actresses. I've seen her in quite a few things besides Pretty Little Liars (namely Privileged, that TV show several years ago that was cancelled way too soon, and A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song) and she is great in all of them. I found out about Sorority Wars whilst browsing through the list of previous roles Lucy has played and decided to watch it. I didn't think Sorority Wars would be any good, but it turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable. I felt so sorry for Katie (Lucy Hale) when the posters about her were put up around campus and people started being really horrible to her. Overall, I think Sorority Wars should get 6 stars.



Now we come onto the TV programme...



10. Life Unexpected




After finishing Pretty Little Liars and Waterloo Road, I was eager to catch up on the recent series of Awkward. However, it isn't on Netflix, and I can't watch it on Amazon Prime since I deactivated my account and it doesn't seem like I can reactivate it without paying £80. I was browsing through the list of TV shows on Netflix and settled for Life Unexpected. It sounded like a decent show and it stars Britt Robertson, who I've previously seen in The First Time, Avalon High and Triple Dog. Life Unexpected is about a teenage girl, Lux (played by Britt), who finally finds her birth parents after being moved from foster home to foster home throughout her life. She wants to become emancipated and live with her boyfriend and best friend. However, Lux has to get her birth parents to sign the emancipation form, and that's how she ends up meeting them. For some reason, the judge decides that Lux cannot become emancipated and has to live with her birth parents, who aren't actually together and seem incapable of looking after her. Life Unexpected follows Lux as she adapts to her new life with her birth parents. I wasn't expecting much when I stumbled upon Life Unexpected, since it isn't a very well-known show, though I actually really enjoy it. Britt Robertson is great as a moody teenage girl, who is unsurprisingly angry at her mother for giving her up all those years ago. Life Unexpected also stars Austin Butler, who appeared in Zoey 101, one of my favourite TV programmes during the beginning of secondary school. He's also in The Carrie Diaries, if you have managed to find it. I, unfortunately, have not. Why are some programmes so hard to find?! Anyway, Life Unexpected is a lovely show. It's emotional and funny. I would say that Life Unexpected is suitable for most ages and is family-friendly. I'll give it 7 stars.

 














So that is what I have been watching on Netflix (and Youtube in the cases of Cherry and Sorority Wars) recently! As you can tell, I have been watching a lot of films! Have you seen any of the films / TV shows I have mentioned? What did you think of them? I'd love to hear your thoughts!





Hasta luego!




Serena






Saturday, 11 April 2015

Mini Book Reviews: Easter Hols



Hey guys!


Since I have had over a month off university (ridiculous, I know, but it kind of came at the right time tbh), I have had plenty of time to catch up with my reading for pleasure. This Easter I have read Forgotten (which I reviewed HERE), Queen of Babble, Adorkable, Girl Online and All These Things I've Done.



Queen of Babble



Queen of Babble is written by Meg Cabot, one of my favourite childhood authors. Although Meg Cabot's books are primarily aimed at young teenagers and tweens, I will still pick up one if I see it cheaply in a charity shop or on Amazon.



Queen of Babble is about Lizzie Nichols, a college undergraduate who incapable of keeping a secret to herself. A boy comes to Lizzie's rescue during a fire alarm and she ends up trekking all the way to England to spend her summer with him. Unfortunately, Lizzie's love interest, Andrew, is not being honest and Lizzie finds herself with no place to stay. Luckily, Lizzie's friend Shari is also in Europe so she is able to catch the train to France to spend the remainder of her trip in a chateau. Lizzie soon forgets about Andrew and falls in love with Luke, the son of the chateau's owner.

It's undeniable that Queen of Babble is a silly book. However, it is easy to read and has some humour dotted here and there. Lizzie reminds me of Becky Bloomwood, the protagonist of Sophie Kinsella's hilarious Shopaholic series. They are both always getting into sticky situations, Becky because she wants to please others, and Lizzie because she can't stop talking. I found Lizzie to be a fairly likeable character and her constant babbling is what made me not want to put down this book. I have loved Meg Cabot ever since I was in primary school and Queen of Babble did not let me down.



Adorkable

 


I picked up a copy of Adorkable at Summer in the City last August. It seemed like a great book for me since it is about a blogger.

 

Jeane Smith is the protagonist of Adorkable. She's not even 16 yet and lives on her own and has a hugely successful blog. After finding out that her boyfriend has been cheating on her, Jeane finds comfort in Michael Lee, a typical "popular" guy. Michael also just so happens to be the ex-boyfriend of the girl Jeane's boyfriend was cheating with. Despite having absolutely nothing in common (apart from "a pair of cheating exes"), Jeane and Michael start seeing secretly snogging whenever they get the chance.

As with Queen of Babble, Adorkable is a very ridiculous book. Nevertheless, I still found myself laughing out loud at some parts. Jeane is a great female lead due to her feisty nature and reluctancy to follow the crowd. Her fashion sense seems so bizarre! Jeanne could be annoying at times, but overall I liked her character. Michael Lee was also a good character - he was realistic and I could understand why so many girls were after him. Despite this, I will have to say that the relationship between Jeanne and Michael is a bit unbelievable and, yes, it was definitely doomed from the start. I was also fed up with seeing 'totes' constantly throughout the book - it's so unnecessary. However, Adorkable was a decent, well-written book and I finished it in no time. I would recommend Adorkable to fellow bloggers and anyone who loves chick-lit as much as I do.


Here's a snippet of the first chapter:


 
 


All These Things I've Done




Having already read and enjoyed Elsewhere and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, both by Gabrielle Zevin, I had high expectations when starting All These Things I've Done. Like her other books, this one has an unusual premise. It's set in 2082 in New York and chocolate is banned - something I'm sure neither you nor I could imagine.

Although described as dystopian, All These Things I've Done is nothing like other books in its genre. Yes, it does have a crazy overpowering government, with even crazier laws, but the book is quite different to the likes of Divergent and The Hunger Games. Although All These Things I've Done has a female protagonist, something that is typical of contemporary young adult dystopian novels, she does no seem to be interested in rebelling against the government. Anya comes from the Balanchine family, who are known for their involvement in crime. After both her parents die, Anya has to look after her younger sister Natty and older brother Leo, who appears to need constant supervision after witnessing the death of their mother. The three siblings live with their grandma, though she is very elderly and ill and has to leave all the responsibility to Anya. It's evident that Anya has a really tough life, having been an orphan since she was only nine years old. She is so brave and mature, and doesn't let her problems affect her too much.

All These Things I've Done is a brilliant, unique book that I couldn't put down. It was fast-paced and full of plot twists. Zevin is a fantastic author and creates very believable characters. I'm glad that All These Things I've Done is part of a trilogy as the end of the book left me aching for more!




Hope you enjoyed this post!


Hasta luego!


Serena