Simple Things

Sometimes the best things in life really are the simplest. 

heart shaped bruises.

i took a leaf out lisette's book and am sharing things i'm thankful for

♥ today the sun is shining

♥ my parents taking me to paris

♥ having over a hundred likes on my photography facebook page

♥ jay bird, even if he is in haggis land 

♥ my beautiful house mates

♥ my bed, its just so pretty (and comfy)

♥ being brought tea in the morning

♥ getting lovely emails about my blog

hope you all have a wonderful weekend

love livvy
xoxo

bloglovin' - twitter - facebook

Movie Me Now

Whether its going to the cinema (the Curzon and Electric are my favourites in London), watching one of the many DVDs from our 'to watch' pile, reading reviews in the Sunday papers or listening to my favourite geeky film podcast (Film Spotting for anyone interested) in the bath, movies are a massive part of my downtime. So much so, I don't really feel like I've had a proper weekend unless I've zoned out to at least one film.

So I thought it might be fun to do the occasional 'recently watched' post to highlight a few of the films, both old and new, I've seen and loved of late. I tend to get carried away with these sorts of things so I'm going to be strict with myself and keep it all as brief as possible!

So if you're in need of something to watch this weekend or just reminding of an old favourite, I hope this gives you a little bit of inspiration.  Let me know what you think and if you too have seen any of the below-I'd love to know what you think. 

I Wish // Nobody Knows

After being totally won over by I Wish after seeing it at the ICA a couple of months ago, I decided to investigate some more of Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeka's films, starting with the 2004 Nobody Knows.  Undeniably sweet, I Wish is the best kind of visual soul food, meandering along to a heart-warming ending that's saved from veering towards sentimental by a good dose of dry humour and realism. So one day, while off-sick from work with a thick cold, I curled up in bed with Nobody Knows expecting much of the same.

The film sees a group of children left alone in a small apartment after their wayward mother appears to have left once and for all. Akira, the eldest brother on the cusp of adulthood, is left in charge of his 3 siblings and has to juggle keeping his family together while also dealing with the turbulence of being a teenager. 

Half coming-of-age melodrama, half tragic tale of survival and loneliness, Nobody Knows is one of those films that really gets under your skin and despite feeling quite slow while you're watching, it stays with you for a long time afterwards.

Buy the DVD here.

Rachel Getting Married

A heady mix of love, loss, addition, grief and one rollercoaster of a wedding, Rachel Getting Married is an amazingly real portrayal of a normal family dealing with extraordinary circumstances and emotions. A far cry from her Princess Diairies days, Anne Hathaway is really brilliant as damaged Kym while Rosemarie DeWitt is fast becoming one of my favourite actors for her incredibly natural way of performing.

 Desperate, tragic and hopeful all at once, Rachel Getting Married might not be one for a Sunday evening (you've been warned), but its beautiful cinematography and intense performances make it well worth a watch.

Buy the DVD here. 


The Sessions

I never had myself down as a much of a weeper when it came to movies, but in the last year or so I've become much more of crier and The Sessions is case in point of this more emotional me.

I actually saw this a little while ago, around Christmas time, but couldn't not include it in my first film post. Telling the story of Mark O'Brien, a man reduced to a horizontal life in an iron lung after contracting polio at 6 years old, who employs a sex surrogate to help him lose his virginity, The Sessions is more heart-warming, charming and funny than its subject matter might belie. The fact it's an entirely true story just makes it all the more moving. 

On a visual level, I loved the 1970s San Francisco setting but it's the performances that really sets the film apart. Having only seen him in pretty sinister roles previously, John Hawkes was a revelation in terms of talent and sensitivity. 

Engaged from start to finish, I was left feeling incredibly humbled in a flurry of bittersweet tears that took a full afternoon to recover from.

Buy the DVD here.

we're perfectly intertwined.

outfit un:

trench coat: primark

hat: ebay

cardi: zara

peplum top: new look

jeans: toppers

sunnies: H&M

outfit deux:

top: new look

skirt: internationale

boots: ebay

bag: cambridge satchel company

bonjour!

as you can tell from the gazillion photographs i have just bombarded your eyes with that i have been on a petie trip to paris (ite i'll stop with the french now) i left on tuesday and got back this afternoon.

a family newman trip is never complete without staying with some sort of friends and relatives so we stayed in our friends beautiful eighteenth century flat, as well as our friends we were welcomed by their dog calcium (best dog name evz) if you look carefully at the picture of him you can see he sports a fine moustache (you can also twist his hair into a unicorn horn...)

as a fam' we have visited paris a few times before we didn't do the usual touristy business (well the eiffel tower has to be done...) well things that were a little less touristy.

we went to chateau de vincennes for some history fun and made friends with the castle cat, standard. 

we still manage to have some shenanigans on the metro but between papa n's and my linguist skills we didn't go the wrong way...too much..ahem.

i also managed to slip in a cheeky trip to laduree, and that my friends is something that needs to be experienced.

so after a few jam packed (well nutella) days i am glad to be back in my bed, it is a little lonely though as jay has left me for a fossil geeks field trip (i didn't have to share my macaroons thought muhaha) so i'm going to curl up with my french magazines and my macaroon baby.

love livvy

xoxo

fancy being a beb (french accent there kids) you can still vote for me as 'best use of photography' in the company blog awards (i'll shut up about it soon, pwomise)

bloglovin' - twitter - facebook

It's Time

 

I've subconsciously stopped wearing my gold Michael Kors chronograph watch recently. I think mainly because yellow gold next to sallow winter skin is never that appealing, and partly due to the gold just feeling a bit 'much' of late. 

I've always been drawn to two-tone metal watches and was originally looking for a gun metal/rose-gold combination prior to buying my MK gold one, but failed to find one that ticked the boxes for both looks and price. 

Well, it looks like Mr. Kors read my mind on this one, with yet another covetable, affordable watch to hanker after. Time* for an update me thinks.

Get it here from ASOS.  

Just leave one for me.... 

*Apologies for the toe-curling puns. The lowest form of wit, or so I'm frequently told, and yet so hard to avoid/resist.

what you know about rockin' a wolf on your noggin.

happy easter chums!

my easter consisted of having two roasts in one day (jay and i rolled into the car from one to the other) and lots of laughs with family.

i've been at work today, someone brought in a twelve week old sausage dog ohhhhmmaaagaawwd it was the cutest thing i have ever seen!

i'm off to paris tomorrow with the fam' (if our tickets actually decide to download) i really need to pack!

and yes i've just eaten all of my easter egg, i know you have too.

don't forget you can vote for my blog as 'best use of photography' in the company blog awards. 

love livvy 

xoxo

p.s. i had very chilly shoot with gabs this week, here's a cheeky peak.