Madlie Words
  • Home
  • News
  • Writings
    • Musings
    • Flash Fiction
    • Children/Colouring Books
    • Short Story Romance
  • Contact


​Musings

The Gentlemen: A Boring Rehash

2/12/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
I was introduced to Guy Richie through Snatch in the 10th grade. Yes, this was years after it’s release but I was a sheltered kid. The only adult movies I remember watching up until then were old James Bond films and the Die Hard franchise. But Snatch was special, I instantly fell in love with Guy Richie’s way of story-telling, his characters and his style of editing/filming. I quickly took a deep dive into all of his work before Snatch and have watched anything new since. I find his style is full of energy. If it wasn’t done purposely to keep our short attention spans engaged then kudos to him for figuring it out. So when I heard about The Gentlemen I was excited. It’s been years since Richie has written and directed a film. Eventually I would eagerly sit down with my popcorn with high hopes of another clever zig-zagging story about some criminals. Sadly I left the theatre disappointed and realizing it may be the only Guy Richie movie I don’t rewatch.
The Cast:

I will admit; the reason I watched Snatch was because Brad Pitt was on the cover. He may have brought me to the Guy Ritchie party but he wasn’t the reason I stayed. I think this movie is again trying to appeal to American audiences through a big name in Matthew McConaughey. He also pulls some UK actors from popular shows in the US like Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) and Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey). Round that out with other well-knowns: Hugh Grant (90s Rom-Com heart throb), Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) and Colin Farrell (the guy from that movie). Overall it’s an impressive cast, the a-listers and everyone else works really well together. The acting is top notch and believable, a real bright spot in the movie.
Picture
The Recap:

Most of the movie is being told by Hugh Grant as a movie and blackmail pitch to Charlie Hunnam who plays Matthew McConaughey’s right hand man, in his big time weed empire. But it’s time for Matt to retire so he’s working to sell the empire to one drug kingpin (with another getting in the way) while a newspaper man is trying to sully his ‘good’ name. It’s a Guy RIchie film so there are lots of little stories going on with each character and we get to know each of them in interesting ways. Overall the story is pretty straightforward.

The good:
  • I will never not think of Black Mirror when a pig is involved in ‘love-making’
  • The story is cohesive, to say the least, hardly any zig-zagging at all which is both disappointing and boring but kinda nice to not feel confused at all.
  • Although already mentioned, the acting was good. Hugh Grant as a scoundrel was interesting.
  • The music fight video was awesome!
  • The sets, although limited, were well put together as were the costumes.
  • Michelle Dockery has really good aim.
  • Matt’s way of dealing with the double crossing businessman was great. I am left curious which pound of flesh he chose.

The bad:
  • The russian twist was sadly very obvious to me. But then it was dealt with really easily. A lot of build up for very little pay off.
  • The whole movie pitch premise. It provided an interesting way of showing ‘what if’ scenarios but otherwise seemed out of place. Then the ending of him actually pitching to a movie studio was just dumb. 
  • Was it just me or were there a lot of homosexual undertones, heck overtones, aside from just the flirty jokes. 
  • The scene that involved puking was way over done, too much.
Why you should watch or not watch it:

As of this writing the Tomatometer had it at 73%, Metacritic was at 51% and IMDB was at 81%. And I generally agree that it was a good movie but the overall feeling for me was boredom. I’d recommend a watch if you like a good crime movie, just don’t expect much.

Last thought:

Compared to past Guy Richie films this one felt underwhelming. Maybe because Guy Richie himself is a big wig now, but a focus on characters and settings that are very fancy and upper class rather than the underdogs I used to cheer for kept me from getting invested. I just don’t care as much about a guy trying to make a deal for billions of dollars. Now a movie with a focus on Colin Farell and his gym ‘thugs’? Now that would be entertaining!
Picture
0 Comments

That Time I Tried Microblading

2/6/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

Before

Picture

Immediately After

Picture

5 days & 1 brow wash later

What makes you feel confident? I’m sure many things just rushed to your mind. Is it that great outfit? When your skin is clear? Those naturally good hair days? Finding heels that are also comfortable? I could go on and on. For me, I feel like I can take on the world when my eyebrows look good. 

I am not naturally knowledgeable with make-up. When watching youtube makeup tutorials, I sit in awe thinking how impossible it all seems to do myself. So it was only a few years ago that I learned about eyebrow make-up. I have thick dark brown hair on my head but everywhere else my hair is thin and on the blonde side (which I will never complain about when it comes to my legs). So after that first time I filled in and coloured my eyebrows I’ve never looked back.

One fateful evening looking for random deals on Groupon I found myself finding quite a few different places offering Microblading. I had no idea what that was so off to google I went.


What is Microblading?

It is a semi-permanent way to add colour to your eyebrows making them look fuller and adding shape. It does not deposit pigment very deeply into your skin which is why it will fade. How quickly it fades depends on a number of different things including: sun exposure, skin type (how you heal), ink used, and ongoing skin care routine. It can last anywhere from 8 months to 2 years. A touch-up is usually recommended between 6 and 8 weeks, as healing/scabbing can cause the pigment to be uneven. I did not add the touch up to my groupon option so I will unlikely get it.
Why did I do it?

I’m lazy…  I loved the idea of waking up and my eyebrows already having colour and shape. Saving time in my makeup routine was very appealing. So after doing some research on what microblading was, I figured why not give it a try, especially when I could save 50% with groupon! ​
Picture
What does it feel like?

It feels like what I imagine a tiny cheese grater would feel like...  I had it in my head that it would be like getting a tattoo. I know it is only ‘semi-permanent’ but I imagined the process being similar. I was prepared for a machine jabbing my head, so I was surprised when she pulled out a blade. It was the same size as a scalpel except you could change and replace the blades. She’d be cutting my head skin manually. I hadn't taken any pain meds before hand because it can cause you to bleed more so I was nervous. She used two different sized blades on me. The best I could describe the look is like a serrated knife or a lot of needles lined up in a row. I laid down, hoping the numbing cream she had applied 5 minutes earlier would hinder the pain I was about to feel. What I felt and heard was scraping across my skin. It didn’t hurt too much, until later when she went over areas that were already cut open.
How long did it take?

Give yourself some breathing room after the appointment...  With the separate 1 hr consultation appointment a week before, I’d say in total the whole thing took just over 4 hours. 85% of the time was spent making sure the shape was perfect. The first hour and a half was just drawing with a black pencil the shape I wanted. It was all about We wanted to enhance the shape I already had and making sure that, while not exactly the same, the dimensions were similar and complemented each other and my face. 

Once we got started, I would lay down while she scraped away but would jump up to look in the mirror more times then I could count. We added a sharper arch and then just focused on defining and filling in the rest. She wanted to make sure that once gravity was pulling in the right direction things still looked right. At least 3 times she scraped as I was sitting up. She would start from the inside of the brow and work outwards. “You can add a hair line but you can’t take it away.” I didn’t mind all the time it took, I wanted to make sure it was right and that I would love it.
Do I love it?

Not at first... It felt like I was walking around with permanent marker eyebrows the first few days. It was so dark and so prominent looking. She was trying to match with my hair colour so she had mixed 4 different browns; espresso, taupe, dark brown and brown. I knew it would start off dark and that it would fade but it was sooooo very dark, and looked almost black. Plus the shape was so dramatic, compared to what I was used to. I wanted to hide at home for the week after but I had things going on, including a massage appointment the next day. It was pretty funny when I lifted my head from the hole and there was a perfect eyebrow imprint on the towel.

Pretty much every woman I talked to the days following complimented the shape and talked about either wanting to try microblading or their experience having already tried microblading. Seems it's really catching on. By day 5, I couldn't take it anymore and washed my face (they recommend to wait as long as possible to clean your eyebrows). All the clumps and scabs came off easily. I felt so much more secure! It looked more natural while still being able to see more of the individual lines. After more days passed, the final scabs came off and my skin was no longer inflamed, I loved them!
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Next In Fashion: The Blob

2/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Concept:
​

Netflix’s answer to people who want more Project Runway and more Queer Eye. They are obviously trying to separate themselves from Project Runway but the basis premise is the same: grab some designers, give them some challenges, put on some fashion shows. Next In Fashion has its own light-hearted tone. Tan France, who is well known as the fashion guy of the Fab Five in Queer Eye, with his cohost Alexa Chung are very playful and keep the whole show fun. They keep talking about wanting to find the next big treads and fashionable ideas but either I’m very out of touch (which could be) or there wasn’t much boundary pushing with those design concepts. 

​
The Good:
​
  • The hosts worked really well together and seemed to be having genuine fun.
  • No drama between the designers. The focus was on the designs so no dumb infighting, everyone seemed to get along.
  • So many different accents! The contestants are from all over the world.
  • The set! The sound stage they used meant they created a new catwalk for each show. The use of projectors on the floor itself and different props really added a feel of theatre to it.
  • The tongue in cheek use of pushing its bingeablity through end of show instructions from the hosts was fun
Picture
The Bad:
​
  • Please tell me 'extended sizes/models' isn't really a thing. I'm a fat girl and I wear plus size clothes. I'm not extended... who thought of this? 
  • The first half of the show is all team challenges. The contestants are paired off and stay in the same pair until half the people are gone. There are some contestants who just don’t get to show what they can do.
  • For a show that knows a majority of it viewers will be bingeing, it spends too much time going over the same background and showing the same pictures for some of the contestants.
  • A cellphone brand is sponsoring this show but I’m not sure which one. There were really weird moments of the contestants using the phones to take pictures or when one guy’s phone had a low battery so another contestant showed him how to use the charge from his phone. I feel it would have been better to just have the brand name/logo randomly placed throughout the room.
  • The fashion. At least 3 different designs included what looked like a plastic bag wrapped around the model, also is baggy in now? So many wide legged pants and oversized dresses and jackets. Not once was there a comment about enhancing a person’s shape. Seems next in fashion is to look like a blob.
Picture
Picture
Picture
To watch or not to watch:

Do you enjoy Project Runway? Do you enjoy Queer Eye? Then you’ll enjoy this. Best to watch with someone who can be judgy and have fun picking apart the judges opinions and the fashions on the show. Also be prepared for so much name dropping. Might be a fun drinking game: every time a celebrity is mentioned, take a drink! 

Last thought:

I like Project Runway better. I’m looking forward to Making the Cut which is Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn’s new show on Prime.

​
0 Comments

    Musings

    Reviews, Spotlights, Interviews, Opinions and Lived Experiences!

    Archives

    February 2020
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019

    Categories

    All
    Experiences
    Reviews
    Spotlights

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photo used under Creative Commons from davidstewartgets
  • Home
  • News
  • Writings
    • Musings
    • Flash Fiction
    • Children/Colouring Books
    • Short Story Romance
  • Contact