Visual...ness

Agh, it's so sad to look at this blog and not see any pretty pictures!! Only a few days, just a few more days and there will be plenty of new photos to post, deep breaths :) It looks so bare and unadorned, poor thing.

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day full of love and colour and chocolates :) I went to Chuao Chocolatier, a classy little place with a European feel, offering both traditional treats and also some spicy and truly unique chocolates to mix things up a bit. Breaking the mold :) Their gelato also looked amaaazingly delicious and beautiful. And they offer hot and cold drinks so you can sit down and try your chocolates without any unnecessary delay :) I love that these tasty little treats are made locally using fresh, local ingredients.

Okay, enough about that. While I did not do any amorous cooking or reading (I'm assuming broccoli soup does not qualify as an overly romantic food), I did sneak in a viewing of Northanger Abbey, the newer 2007 version. It's only an hour and a half long so it's incredibly brisk and seems to run away with itself by the end, finishing and wrapping itself up with a bow before you've reached for your fourth sip of tea. Of course, I loved the look of the film - the sets, the costumes, the gothic touches...and especially Felicity Jones' costumes (stunning! wish I could wear something like that today). I also loved the performances, the acting was top notch and full of honest feeling as well as comic delights. Felicity Jones and Carey Mulligan (looove Carey) were especially terrific. It was also a fun surprise to see William Beck, who I last saw in the BBC TV series Robin Hood. JJ Feild as Henry Tilney was quite good too, though the film was so short I didn't get to see as much of him as I would have liked. That was the overall big problem, the film felt so rushed that no gradual character development had any chance of happening. I didn't mind the modern touches too much since they correspond so well with the book's inquiry into the nature of the gothic novel (and the pleasures it provides).

Oh dear, I feel like I'm rambling. To wrap it up, it was an enjoyable, very well-acted film but a bit too light and rushed. Jane Austen deserves more.

Cheerio!